



Class : 

Book LU_k_ 

Copyright W! 

COKHttGHT DEPOSIR 



! 



The New 

BUSINESS 
LETTER WRITER 



Comprising 

Letter Writing — Rules, Examples, Applications for 
Position, for Information, Adjustment, Opening 
Accounts, Handling Accounts, Soliciting 
'\ Orders, etc. 

Writing for Publication, Magazine Articles and, 
J Journalism 

Also 

, Valuable Information Pertaining to Modern Business 
i Efficiency 

S Embracing 

Insurance, Making a Will, Mercantile Credits, Speechmaking, 
Words and Their Use, Banking, Partnership, Sales, 
How to Improve the Memory, Efficiency Through 
Self-Development, Personal Factors Indispens- 
able to Success, Antonyms and Synonyms, etc. 

Compiled by A. B. JOHNSTON 

Editor of "The Publishers Publicity Bulletin" and Author of 
Efficiency Through Concentration, etc. 

Publishers 

THE SHERWOOD COMPANY 

NEW YORK 



<n 






Copyright, 1920 
By THE SHERWOOD COMPANY 



AUG 13 1920 
©CI.A597003 



BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 



It is not expected that every letter-form found in this 
book is to be copied exactly as here given. Letters 
asking for remittances or making collections, should be 
varied to suit a particular exigency, and several examples 
are given from which phrases or sentences may be se- 
lected and modified to fit the need. But there are more 
or less formal openings and closings which, as here given, 
will serve as suggestions, saving the writer time and 
thought otherwise spent in search through dictionary or 
memory, for just the right word. 

In soliciting patronage, or new business, or renewal of 
old business, or in writing applications for a position, 
as much individuality as possible should be expressed, so 
as to attract interested attention. 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER 



I. PRINCIPLES 



A business letter is an extension of a business man or 
firm. To be effective it must possess personality and an 
external form that pleases by trimness and conformity 
to current style or usage. 

It is external appearance that makes the first impres- 
sion for good or bad. 

Neatness is the first requisite. 

Conformity is essential for several reasons: 

It pleases because we like that to which we are ac- 
customed. 

It saves the time and nerve energy of the recipient 
who, from force of habit, by a glance at the accustomed 
place, can learn at once from whence and whom the 
letter comes. 

For the same reason, it simplifies the analysis and 
grasp of the contents. 

The accordance of a letter with accepted standards 
and forms implies that the writer is up-to-date and a 
live- wire. 

The modern arrangement of address, date, signature, 
spacing, etc., is that which business men have found 
gives all the essential, external facts, most simply, con- 
cisely and completely. 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER 



COMPONENT PARTS 

The business letter comprises eight parts, separated 
from each other by approved spacing and punctuation. 
The parts are the following: 

1. Address of writer 

2. Date 

forming the Heading 

3. Name and title of courtesy 

4. Address of addressee 
forming Introductory Address 

5. Salutation 

6. Body of letter 

7. Complimentary close 

8. Signature 

The address upon the envelope comprises several parts 
which will be considered below. 
Examples : 

1. 20 Wall St., 

2. January 18, 1919. 

3. Mr. James Scott, m 

4. Chicago, 111. 

5. Dear Sir: 

6. 



7. Yours very truly, 

8. Hugh S. Stone. 

By 



BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 



SPACING 

The attractiveness and hence the effectiveness of a 
business letter depends in great part upon the spacing 
of the lines and the proper centering upon the page 
of the letter as a whole — that is to say, upon its "artistic 
composition. ,, 

The letter, if possible, should occupy one page only ( 1 ) 
its contents can then be more quickly noted; (2) paper 
cost is thus diminished— an item to be considered when 
raw material is scarce and expensive. 

With a long letter, most houses now employ single 
spaces between parts of what may be regarded as units 
of the letter, as between the lines of the heading, those 
composing the introductory address, those constituting 
the body of the letter, and the like. Between these sev- 
eral units double spacing is used, as between the heading 
and the introductory; between the introductory address 
and the body of the letter, etc. 

If the letter be brief, double spacing is preferable, 
with broad margins, the text well centered, presenting 
a pleasing, open appearance. 

It simplifies the reading of a letter if the paragraphs 
are separated by double spacing, each item being thus 
given an emphasis caught by the eye and so by the mind. 

If there be no printed letter-head, the heading should 
be placed 1^ inches below the top edge of the sheet. 
The left margin should be an inch or ten points from 
the edge of the page ; the lowest line should be the same 
distance from the edge. The right-hand margin should 
approximate the distance of the left-hand one, but is 
necessarily more irregular, as the lines vary in length. 

After the punctuation marks we find the following 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER 



spacing approved: two points after the period, colon, 
question mark and exclamation point. One point after 
the comma, semi-colon, or other point within a sentence. 

HEADING 

The complete Heading, that is, the date, together with 
the address of the writer, should never be omitted from a 
letter, whether business or social. 

The thoughtless omission of the address causes delay- 
in the acknowledgment of a letter and the shipment of 
orders, as the recipient does not know where to address 
the reply. Few business men but have been made amus- 
edly indignant by letters wrathfully demanding why re- 
quests have not received attention, the actual cause being 
the above-mentioned neglect of the careless writer. It is 
manifestly unfair to oblige a correspondent to take time 
and trouble to search for an address. 

Most business houses have the heading printed or en- 
graved in attractive style at the top of the business sta- 
tionery, with the address in full. Such headings should 
be so centered as to preserve a pleasing balance with the 
rest of the sheet. Dignity and simplicity should char- 
acterize the headings of those houses whose customers 
or clients are likely to be impressed by evidences of good 
taste. 

Besides the name and address of a firm or corporation, 
the names of the officers may properly be listed, and the 
numbers of telephone and cable. 

Every letter should be dated. This is a most important 
detail in both personal and business correspondence. 
Legal complications frequently arise because of disputes 
which a date on a letter might have settled. In the case 
of serial and follow-up letters it is essential to be able 



BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 



to refer to successive dates on which such have been 
mailed. 

Address and date may be placed upon one line, upon 
two, or upon three, as 

40 State St., Chicago, 111. 
May 10, 1919. 

Sidney, Del. Co., N. Y., May 10, 1919. 

Lockwood Academy, 

Brooklyn, N. Y. 
May 25, 1919. 

Either single or double spacing may be used, as seen 
above. 

Separate lines of the heading may be indented five 
points, as illustrated above, or they may begin at the 
same margin, thus: 

Lockwood Academy, 
Brooklyn, N. Y., 
May 25, 1919. 

A comma should follow each division of the heading, 
as the street, avenue, boulevard, town, county, State, 
date of month. 

In business letters, the spelling out of the day of the 
month and the year is neither customary nor commend- 
able. It does not make the instant impression desirable. 

Nor should the month be designated by figures, as 7, 
6, 18, meaning July 6, 1918. A hurried business man 
begrudges the instant or more of time necessary to think 
which month is the 7th, and whether the first figure 
means the day or the month, although to our Quaker 
friends this would be no hardship. 

The following three forms of dating were received 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER 7 

from the same house, in the same month. For business 
purposes it is easy to decide which is preferable : 

October 10/5/16 Oct. 2, 1916 

Seventh 

Nineteen 

Sixteen. 

THE INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS 

The Introductory Address comprises the title, name, 
and address of the person or firm to whom the letter is 
written. It may occupy two, three, or more lines, de- 
pending upon their length. Some business houses em- 
ploy double spacing between the parts of the heading, 
but the practice grows in favor of using single spacing 
to give it the character of a unit, as apart from the rest 
of the letter. 

As with the heading, the lines may all begin with the 
same margin, a style growing in vogue, as it simplifies 
and speeds the work of the typist, since the carriage can 
be shot back, halting automatically at the margin, with- 
out need of the typist stopping it deliberately at a given 
indentation. If the lines be indented, each should be five 
points to the right of the one above. 

The most important titles of courtesy may be briefly 
listed thus, with their abbeviatons: 

Mr. (Mister) 

Messrs. (Messieurs) 

Master (no abbreviation) 

Mrs. (Mistress) 

Mesdames 

The greatest pains should be taken to spell correctly 
the name of the person or firm addressed. It annoys and 
therefore antagonizes a man named Thompson to be con- 



8 



BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 



fused with those orna'ry people the Thomsons, or vice 
versa. Nor does it incline Greene to be more approach- 
able if the "e" be omitted. In addressing a firm its 
corporate name should be written exactly as it stands in 
communications received from it. Some houses, as will 
be seen in examples given below, capitalize the names 
of companies or corporations, both their own and those 
whom they address. 

There is no excuse but carelessness in misspelling the 
name of a person addressed and carelessness is no ex- 
cuse. We give a list of a few names that are often 
interchanged, with the suggestion that if any of these 
are dictated to a stenographer, she inquire what is the 
exact spelling; and that the dictator avoid possible error 
by spelling out a name likely to be misunderstood. 



Adams 


Addams 


Cary 


Carey 


Clark 


Clarke 


Colman 


Coleman 


Cook 


Cooke 


Douglas 


Douglass 


Brown 


Browne 


Fairbank 


Fairbanks 


Fitzsimons 


Fitzsimmons 


Foster 


Forster 


Horn 


Home 


Ingram 


Ingraham 


Johnson 


Johnston 


McLaughlin 


McLoughlin 


Merrill 


Merrall 


Myer 


Meyer 


Read 


Reid Reed 



Braun 



Johnstone 



Reade 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER 



Smith 


Smythe 




Stuart 


Stewart 




Straus 


Strauss 




Tailor 


Taylor 


Tailer 


Thomson 


Thompson 




Wolf 


Wolf! 





If not known by name, the person may be addressed 
by die name of the office, thus, 

Literary Editor, 



30 Broadway, 
New York City, 
Dear Sir: 

If the heading be a long one, it may be divided thus, 
Thomas S. Scott, Esq., Editor, 

Insurance 

'80 Broadway, 

New York, N. Y. 

Other forms of heading will be noted in letters given 
elsewhere in this volume. 

BODY OF LETTER 

The body of the letter should be single-spaced if other- 
wise likely to run over into a second page. This econo- 
mizes paper and it also enables the reader to grasp the 
contents with ease and speed. 

Paragraphs should be separated by double spacing, 
each item thus being given desirable emphasis. 

A double space should separate the body of the letter 
from the salutation and from the complimentary close. 

Thus much for Form. 

For content:— The, tone of the letter should be cour- 



10 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

teous, decided, explicit^ leaving no ground for ambiguity 
or differences of interpretation. 

The matter should be presented simply, concisely, with 
as few words possible, consistent with precision and com- 
pleteness. 

"Completeness" means that no essential is omitted, 
making a second letter necessary. Buyer and seller are 
often separated by such great distances that it will not 
do to risk losing a customer by the time and expense 
entailed in writing a second letter to give facts that 
should have been included in the first. 

In sending orders for goods state precisely what you 
wish in respect to quality, quantity, size, color, weight, 
number of articles, manufacturer, trademark, time and 
how shipped, whether by freight, express, or mail. Freight 
is usually less expensive than express, but takes much 
longer. In sendinig ms. to publisher always enclose 
money for return in case of non-acceptance. Editors 
would soon become bankrupt if obliged to pay the re- 
turn carriage on all rejected articles. 

There is always a risk attached to sending paper cur- 
rency or coins through the mails. It is too readily con- 
fiscated. Money may be sent by Post Office or Express 
money order; by registered letter, or by draft on New 
York or Chicago bank. The letter in which the money 
is enclosed should state the sum both in figures and writ- 
ten at length, to forestall possible misunderstandings or 
deliberate falsifications. 

A very little business experience is necessary to con- 
vince a prudent man of the absolute necessity of pre- 
serving copies of all business letters sent from his office. 
Carbon paper makes this an easy matter, where the type- 
writer is used. Pen copies should be made in cases 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER 11 

where a machine is not employed. Such copies afford 
important evidence when differences of construction 
make recourse to law inevitable. 

COMPLIMENTARY CLOSE 

The complimentary close may take any of the fol- 
lowing forms, Your truly, Yours very truly, Very truly 
yours, Yours respectfully, Respectfully yours, Yours very 
respectfully, Yours sincerely, or Yours cordially, with 
the variations as in the others. 

The first three are the standard forms for usual busi- 
ness. When one of inferior or subordinate position 
writes to his superior the word "Respectfully" is often 
used, though not so much as formerly, in our democratic 
country. When a report is submitted, however, the word 
respectfully is employed, as, "Respectfully submitted/' 

A somewhat more intimate relationship is implied by 
the word "cordially." 

The complimentary close is separated from the body 
of the letter and from the signature by two spaces. It 
should begin a few points to the right of the middle of 
the line. 

THE SIGNATURE 

The signature of the writer should be written in ink, 
and so legibly that no close scrutiny is required to puzzle 
it out. Minding your "p's" and "q's" in writing a sig- 
nature is one means of avoiding errors, and saving time 
and vexation of spirit. When a firm receives from the 
same town letters from both Merrill and Merritt, a plain 
signature prevents confusion. 

Also, a man starting out in business should choose 
one form for his signature and stick to it, always sign- 
ing his letters, checks, receipts, etc., in a uniform way. 



12 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

Thus, if he begins his business career as Edwin C. Beach, 
he should always sign his name in that way, not E. C. 
Beach one time, and Edwin Beach another. When a 
man always signs his name in the same way it is easy 
for a bank to identify his signature. 

Whenever the personal element is desirable, the name 
should be signed with a pen. Routine letters may be 
signed with a company's name typewritten, with the dic- 
tator's initials below, in ink, preceded by the word "By," 
instead of "per," which being Latin should logically be 
followed by the name in Latin, as Arcturus Jonstoni, 
Arthur Johnston. 

The name of the dictator may have below it the of- 
ficial position he holds, thus, 

John Smith, 

Secretary to Executive Officer. 

John Smith, 

Vice President. 

John Smith, 

Director of Circulation. 

The Sutton Company, 

John Smith, 

Sales Department. 

The character "&" may connect the names of members 
of a firm, as Underwood & Underwood. 

In order to follow up errors or trace responsibility, 
the initials of the dictator and of the stenographer are 
often placed at the left-hand margin. Some firms use 
numbers rather than figures as being more cryptic, thus : 
LMB :S or LMB/S or 6-21 may be used. When there is 
an enclosure, that fact should be indicated. A common 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER 13 

way is to place the abbreviation ENCL. above the initials, 

thus, ENCL. 
LMB:S 

The signature should be separated from the compli- 
mentary close by two spaces. The dotted line of a few 
years ago is now out of date. 

The name may be written on the same margin as the 
complimentary close, or about five points to the right. 

SIGNATURES 

Brown & Co. 
S. T. Jones & Co. 
Smith Elevator Co., 
By Alexander North, 
Sec. 

TITLES OF COURTESY 

Mr. James Roper (an individual). 
Messrs. Jones & Bartlett (a firm). 
The Baldwin Locomotive Works (a company or cor- 
poration) . 

FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE 

In addressing business houses in foreign countries, it 
is well to conform to a certain extent to the usages to 
which they are accustomed, in order not to awaken un- 
favorable impressions. Thus, a company which has a 
large correspondence with the Latin countries of Europe 
and South America and also with Australia, finds it ad- 
visable to employ a style somewhat less direct and 
straightforward than Americans use. They approach a 
subject with more circumlocution, with more flowery 



14 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

language, with more graceful phraseology than is now 
current with us. This is exhibited in the salutations, the 
body of the letter and the complimentary close. In fact, 
the forms used are those which were the accepted con- 
vention in the United States in the middle of the last 
century. 

The matter of spelling is perhaps another item in re- 
gard to which it might be well to have respect for the 
weaknesses of possible customers, although those of us 
who wish to hasten the day of reformed spelling would 
prefer to have the indulgence come from the other side. 
Those, however, who do not approve of changing our 
antiquated orthography will realize the shock that comes 
from seeing a familiar word otherwise spelt, and so can 
imagine how pained and irritated our British corre- 
spondents must be when they read "check" for 
"cheque" or "favor" for "favour." Other things being 
equal consideration of such likes and dislikes might lead 
to the gain or loss of a new customer. 

British houses usually place the introductory address 
at the bottom of the letter, beginning at once with the 
salutation. This has the advantage for filing, of bringing 
the names of the writer and the person addressed where 
they can be seen almost simultaneously. 

The United States Government has set its approval 
upon the following order in which the parts of an ad- 
dress should be placed upon an envelope to facilitate the 
work of the postal clerks and carriers, and save time and 
trouble for all concerned: 

The addressee's name and title occupies the top line. 
On the line below this ,the house number and street, if 
in a town or city; the post-office or rural free delivery, 
if in the country. On the third line is the name of the 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER 15 

city or county, and on the fourth, the name of the State. 
The name of a foreign country occupies a fifth line. 

When a person addressed has an official position, this 
should be given. 

Titles may be abbreviated, but should always duplicate 
the form used inside the letter. 

When a business house includes the word "The" as a 
part of its corporate title, this should always be employed, 
capitalized, as The Edison Electric Illuminating Com- 
pany. 

If the one addressed has no street direction or is 
transient, the words "General Delivery" or "Transient" 
may be written in the lower left-hand corner, which is 
the place for other special directions as, "Personal," 
"Forward," "Attention Mr. Brown," etc. 

The name and address of the writer should always be 
placed in the upper left-hand corner of the envelope to 
insure return without delay, in case of failure to reach 
the person addressed. 

As first impressions count for much, care should be 
taken to arrange the superscription in a pleasing posi- 
tion upon the envelope. It should be well centered, pre- 
senting neither a cramped nor a sprawling appearance. 
Each line may begin at the same margin, or each may 
begin five points to the right of the one above. Double 
spacing between the lines gives the pleasing, open ap- 
pearance that attracts. 

The address should be neatly written in ink or equally 
neatly with the machine. If the letter is written by 
machine the envelope should be, and vice versa, to con- 
form to the best taste, and be strictly logical. The di- 
rections on an envelope are usually more detailed than 
those inside the letter. For example, in the introductory 



16 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

address the street number is not always given, in the case 
of well-known firms. 

Here are a few illustrations of correct addressing: 

Mr. James Gould, 

P. O. Box 42, 
Sidney, 
Delaware County, 
New York. 

Messrs. 

312 Winter St., 

Boston, 

Mass. 

Joseph Kinsey, M.D., 
Rural Route 3, 
Rockford, 

Chenango County, 
New York. 

Sometimes the P. O. Box and the Rural Route are 
placed at the lower left-hand corner. 

Some firms place commas after each line except the 
last, which calls for the period. Others now omit all 
commas. 

As a rule it is always safer to spell out the name of 
the State in full, especially s when there is cause for haste. 
There is a strong resemblance between Col. and Cal. ; 
between N. Y. and N. J., and as nearly every town in 
one State has its name duplicated in another, directions 
are easily confused unless made very clear. 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER 



17 



II EXAMPLES 



APPLICATION FOR POSITION 
Office Boy for Import Firm. 

Gentlemen : 

As an applicant for the position advertised in the en- 
closed clipping, I give the following answers to your 
request : 

I am sixteen years old ; of American birth, but of 

extraction ; I have had no experience in business, having 
just graduated from the Grade School, but I have been 
a Boy Scout for some time and this has given me val- 
uable experiences of several kinds, making me alert to 
opportunities and also making me adaptable in different 
ways. 

I can give good references from teachers, pastor, and 
Scout Master. 

Respectfully yours, 

Office Boy for Executive Office of Large Corporation. 

Gentlemen : 

The enclosed advertisement interested me and in hopes 
that I may prove to be the boy you want I give the fol- 
lowing particulars : 

I am sixteen years old, a graduate of the Grade School 
excelling in mathematics. I enjoy having things orderly, 
and at home was always expected to be willing and ob- 
liging. 



18 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

I believe $15 is the usual salary for boys beginning this 
kind of work. 

Respectfully, 

Salesman and Buyer for Book Department. 

Gentlemen : 

In answer to your advertisement in this morning's 
"Times" (clipping enclosed) I offer the following quali- 
fications : — 

I am .... years old, and have had seven years' expe- 
rience as salesman and buyer of books of every descrip- 
tion, old and new, fiction, technical, scientific. I know the 
book trade from A to Z. 

I am desirous of making connection with a large house, 
and can give references testifying to my integrity and 
my ability both in buying and selling, — a live-wire — with 
a large clientele, many of whom would follow me, if I 
make a change. 

I am leaving my present position because my employ- 
ers are giving to their newly-graduated son, just returned 
from the front, the place I have occupied for several 
years. 

Very truly yours, 

Woman Stenographer 

Gentlemen : 

Attracted by the possibilities offered in the enclosed ad- 
vertisement I give the following particulars as to my 
qualifications for the position : — 

I am 21 years old, and after a thorough course in a 
business college as student of stenography and bookkeep- 
ing, I took a position with by whom I have been 

employed for two years and a half. 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER 19 

My work has been extremely practical, giving me com- 
mercial experience and knowledge of which I have made 
continual use. I now seek a wider field for my abilities, 
parting from my employers with the utmost goodwill on 
both sides. 

I have been receiving a salary of $ . . and would expect 
the same to begin with, anticipating an increase as I prove 
myself worthy of it. 

I can give the best of references. 

Respectfully yours, 

Draftsman — Mechanical and Structural. 

L 45 Sun. 
Gentlemen : 

Noting the enclosed advertisement, it appealed to me as 
offering just the position for which I have been looking. 

I have had much practical experience in concrete detail- 
ing and designing; in piping and mechanical layouts, 

being with the company for one year and with 

the company for two years. 

I am . . years old, and desiring to improve my present 
connection would expect a 'salary of .... to commence 
with, anticipating an advance as my services to my em- 
ployers increased in value. 

I can give excellent recommendations, and can report 
for work the first of next month. 

Respectfully yours, 

Salesman for Manufacturing Confectioners. 

Gentlemen : 

Interested by your advertisement in the "World" 
(which I enclose) I offer the following qualifications 
for that position, — 



20 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

i. I have had over eight solid years' experience in all 
phases of the confectionery and ice-cream business, from 
stock boy to salesman. 

In my four years' of selling I have built up a fair-sized 
following, who have confidence in me because they appre- 
ciate the painstaking care and fairness with which I have 
regarded their interests. My following, combined with 
your established trade, would total a corking amount of 
business. 

I am twenty-six years of age, and married. 

I have always drawn a comfortable income, on the 
basis that you proposer salary and commission. Since 
the former has always been a small part of my income, I 
should not quibble over salary. 

I am at present employed by the Ice Cream Com- 
pany, but their line is too small, and I see salesmen every 
day, getting orders for confectionery and other stock, 
that I am assured would be turned over to me, if carried 
by my firm. 

I can give the best of references as to integrity. 

As to personality, eloquence, and so forth, these can 
be ascertained only through an interview, which I hope 
you will grant me. 

Very truly yours, 

Salesman, Hosiery. 

Gentlemen : 

Attracted by the enclosed advertisement and desirous 
of making connection with some hosiery firm, I offer the 
f ollewing credentials : 

I have handled all kinds of hose, including children's, 
for ten years, having in the last, made annual visits to 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER 21 

Saxony, to select and order goods. The war affected my 
business to a considerable extent, but I have managed to 
hold my own, and would be very glad to ally myself with 
some substantial firm. 

I am . . years old. A native American for generations 
back. Am familiar with goods of both American and 
foreign make, and have a large acquaintance among 
manufacturers. I can give excellent references both for 
character and ability. The salary named is satisfactory 
to begin with. 

Respectfully, 

Stenographer for Corporation. 

T 89 "Times" Uptown. 
Gentlemen : 

I write you with reference to enclosed advertisement. 

I am a man 25 years old, I have had considerable expe- 
rience as stenographer for .... and also with Am 

accurate, a good speller, ready at dictation, with ability to 
employ my own commonsense when exigency requires. 
I enjoy work that is not altogether routine but calls for 
some use of one's mentality. I can give the following as 
references, Salary at last place, Would ex- 
pect an advance in a short time. 

Respectfully yours, 

INQUIRY AS TO BUSINESS RESPONSIBILITY 

In replying to questions regarding business standing 
great care must be taken to avoid mentioning the names 
of persons or firms unless the report be favorable ; other- 
wise one may be involved in libel suits. 



22 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

Inquiry Regarding Responsibility. 

Milwaukee, Wis., June 8, 19. . 
Gentlemen : 

Will you kindly give us information as to the financial 
standing of Mr. J. T. Atwater of your city. He has 
named your firm as references for his business responsi- 
bility, and our long and agreeable relations with you 
would naturally predispose us in his favor. Needless 
to say, what you may impart will be held in strictest 
confidence. 

Very truly yours, 
Percy Wright & Co. 
By 

Unfavorable Reply. 
Gentlemen : 

We regret that, relative to your inquiry of June 8, it is 
impossible for us to give a favorable reply. Our dealings 
with the gentleman named have been of a most unsatis- 
factory nature, and we are surprised that he should have 
referred us to you. 

Yours very truly, 

Favorable Reply 
Gentlemen : 

In reply to your letter of June 8, we take pleasure in 
assuring you that any credit you may extend to Mr. J. T. 
Atwater will be a safe investment. His financial standing 
rates with the best. 

Reply When Uncertain. 
Gentlemen : 

With regard to your letter of inquiry of June 8, we 
find it impossible to give a decided reply. The gentle- 
man's integrity is indisputable, but we cannot say that his 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER 23 

business ability would warrant you in entering into im- 
portant transactions with him. 

Asking Information Regarding Financial Responsibility. 

Gentlemen : 

We would be very much obliged to you for an expres- 
sion of opinion regarding the financial responsibility and 
commercial reputation of 

Any data with which you may favor us in this connec- 
tion will be received in strict confidence and without the 
slightest responsibility on your part. We shall be very 
glad to reciprocate whenever opportunity offers. 

Thanking you in anticipation, we are, Gentlemen, 
Faithfully yours, 
P. S. — Please mention especially (see enclosed form) : 

Line of business in which engaged. 

General commercial reputation. 

Approximately, amount of capital invested. 

What credit and terms can be recommended. 

Nationality and date of establishment. 

Asking for Information Regarding Applicant for Position 

Your name has been given us as reference by 

It would be a favor to us if you would advise us of 
your opinion of and experience with the above, following, 
if convenient, as many of the inquiries noted on the en- 
closed form as possible. It will be a pleasure to us to 
reciprocate in similar cases when within our power. 

Any information or advice with which you may favor 
us will be accepted in the strictest confidence and with- 
out responsibility on your part. 

Yours truly, 
Editorial Department. 



24 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

Request for Information. 

Messrs. Strong & Winchester, 
Fall River, Mass. 

Gentlemen : 

We should like to make arrangements to have you 
furnish us with information regarding failures in your 
vicinity in the textile manufacturing, wholesale and retail 
dry goods, clothing, furniture, and general merchandise 
lines. We particularly desire information concerning lia- 
bilities, assets, creditors, terms of settlement, assignments, 
judgments, bills of sale, as well as any other of the most 
important record items such as attachments, etc. 

We send you under separate cover a copy of our daily 
record which will give you an idea of the information 
we wish. If you care to represent us, please state what 
towns we can rely on you to cover. 

Yours truly 

Handling Complaints on Tires, with Expertness and 

Grace. 

Dear Sir : 

We consider it a real favor that you have returned to 
us the 36x4 casing about which you wrote us on May 
10. Frankly, it is not up to the Goodyear standard. 

A new tire at $18.00, the exact service value of the 
old one, is ready to go to you immediately upon the ar- 
rival of your letter authorizing us to send it. 

Much as we regret the annoyance we know you suf- 
fered, we are equally glad for the opportunity you have 
given us to make things right. 

Yours very truly, 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER 25 

Explanation of Delayed Account. 

January 16, 1919. 
BALDWIN SUPPLY COMPANY, 
(Linoleum Department), 
Lincoln, Nebraska. 
Gentlemen : 

We are in receipt of your favor of the 15th inst. en- 
closing statement of account. 

The MEYER LINOLEUM WORKS have not yet 
made settlement with us for any of the cars shipped 
them, and while we have no anxiety so far as their ac- 
count is concerned, we do feel very much chagrined over 
the delay occasioned in settling your account. We have 
made every possible effort to get from the MEYER peo- 
ple vouchers showing the amount of the car service on 
the two cars in question, but they tell us that they are 
unable to get same from the Railroad Company, who 
render them bills only once a month. However, the Rail- 
road has advised them that the amount of demurrage on 
the two cars is about $600.00. Just as soon as we know 
definitely the amount in question we will be only too happy 
to send you our check in settlement of the account. The 
President of the MEYER LINOLEUM WORKS was 
in our office today. We put the matter up to him and he 
promised to communicate with the Railroad Company at 
once and secure bills required by us. 

Yours very truly, 

A. L. ROBINSON & CO. 

The above is a straightforward, tactful explanation of 
delay in remitting. The letter would present a more 
open, restful appearance if the words "J ust " an( * "The 
President" began new paragraphs. 



26 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

Explanatory. 

Messrs. Durham & Courtney, 
St. Paul, Minn. 

Gentlemen : 

Enclosed please find check for $354.67, the amount 
owing after deduction of the special credit. You will 
note that I have also deducted $2.00, the amount of the 
charge to us for cartage to the Navy Yard. I trust that 
this will straighten out the matter, and that there will be 
no further difficulties arising from penalties. 

You will no doubt be interested to learn that the rate 
of penalty has been reduced from 1-5 to 1-10 of 1%, so 
that this feature will not be as onerous in the future as 
it has been in the past. 

Sincerely yours, 

Explanation. 

Messrs. Bernard, Norton & Co. 

Minneapolis, Minn. 
Gentlemen : 

We acknowledge receipt of your letter in which you 
enclose our check and corrected invoice. We return the 
check herewith, and desire to inform you that we take the 
same position in this matter as was outlined to you by 
Mr. Jackson, namely, that the goods were bought in 
good faith at the price noted in our statement, and that 
we could have purchased at as good or better prices from 
your competitors. We therefore insist on your accepting 
the check as rendered. We of course understand that 
future purchases, if any, will have to carry your price. 

Very truly yours 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER 



27 



Messrs. Northrop & Co. 

San Francisco, Cal. 
Gentlemen : 

Your favor of the 21st inst. at hand, and I am sur- 
prised at its contents. I have heretofore never been asked 
to pay exchange on my checks. The charge is an extra- 
ordinary one, and I am sure that you do not wish to be 
the exception among manufacturers. 

With regard to the poor condition of the collars re- 
turned, the fault was certainly not ours, as I can testify 
of my own knowledge that the express company took the 
goods away in first class condition. 

Trusting that this explanation will meet with your ap- 
proval, and that no further correspondence will be neces- 
sary between us on these matters, I remain 

Very truly yours, 

Explanation. 
Messrs. Spalding & Anderson, 

Grand Rapids, Mich. 
Gentlemen : 

Your letter of the 7th inst. received. It is a general 
rule of this house to issue no paper to any one. You 
cannot find a single house in New York that has our 
paper. We do not even give it to our bank, and we do 
not care to make an exception in this instance. 

I should have been very glad of an opportunity to call 
at your eastern office when I made my trip to New York ; 
but as I arrived in that city on Monday afternoon and 
was obliged to leave on Tuesday afternoon, I only had 
time to attend to several very important matters. I shall 
certainly take pleasure in making an appointment to meet 
your representative when I am again in that neighborhood. 
Very truly yours 



28 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

Correction 
Mr. Richard Carpenter, 

Syracuse, N. Y. 
My dear Mr. Carpenter: 

Referring to your letter of November 28, relative to 
invoice of September 10, it appears that you were mis- 
taken in entering the dates of our various bills. I would 
say that this particular bill covers order 5982, which was 
sent to me originally on May 15. I would particularly 
call your attention to my letter of July 12 which fully 
explains this subject. 

Yours very truly 

* Apology 

The Columbia Machine Co. 

Harrisburg, Pa. 
Gentlemen : 

Your courteous favor of the 1st inst. at hand. We 
certainly owe you an apology, and by the enclosed check 
hasten to correct the error made in deducting the $15 
for advertising when you had already made a refund for 
same. It appears that this allowance had not been prop- 
erly posted, and was, in consequence, overlooked, which 
we very much regret. 

Yours respectfully 

Explanations and Adjustments 
Messrs. Valentine & Warner 

Buffalo, N. Y. 
Gentlemen : 

We have your letter of the 10th inst. We enclose here- 
with the two invoices which you claim have not yet been 
paid. You will note that both are marked "not received." 
We can assure you that this has been the case, as we 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER 29 

have been looking for the arrival of the goods day after 
day, but without success. If you will show us a memo- 
randum of the receipt of the goods, we will cheerfully 
pay the several amounts. 

Truly yours. 

Messrs. Gordon & Hill, 

Richmond, Va. 
Gentlemen : 

Referring to our invoice of August 6, covering the six 
bundles of galvanized iron which you claim short on your 
remittance sheet of Aug. 25, we have taken the matter up 
with the men who laid out and inspected the goods in our 
stock room, and they are sure that the quantity shipped 
was exactly as billed. We have accordingly shown a 
balance due us of $28.60, and would suggest that you take 
the matter up with Navy Yard and see if they are not 
wrong in their claim to you. 

An early reply will greatly oblige us. 
Yours faithfully 

Adjustment 

Mr. Walter Vernon, 

Lewiston, Me. 
Dear Sir: 

In looking over your statement for December account, 
we find that you have deducted one dollar per gross 
on all shipments of No. 743. In reference to this deduc- 
tion, we wish to say that the price of $4.50 per gross was 
made to Mr. Weaver on Dec. 1 to apply on all orders 
after that date. The deduction is therefore an error. 

We have no record of the receipt of any goods from 
you on Nov. 25 and 27, amounting to $32.00, and would 



30 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

ask that you kindly mail us any memoranda or receipts 
which you may have of these two returns. 

On Dec. 12 invoice, amounting to $28.45, we note a 
shortage of $2.50. Please inform us what this deduction 
is for, as we have no record of it on our books, and wish 
to trace it. 

Respectfully 

Request for Remittance 
Mr. Arthur Montgomery, 

200 Arch St., Philadelphia, Pa. 
Dear Sir: 

We are as yet without a remittance to cover our state- 
ment submitted some time ago. As we" have urgent need 
for funds with which to meet several very large obliga- 
tions, and as the account is very much overdue, we re- 
quest that you at once give the matter your kind atten- 
tion. 

Trusting that you will favor us with a remittance by 
return mail, we remain, 

Yours very truly 

Adjustment 

Messrs. Dunster & Sterling, 

Worcester, Mass. 
Gentlemen : 

In settlement of bill of April 10, you deduct $53.90 for 
goods to be returned. As our sales department absolutely 
refuses to take these goods back at this time, we are 
obliged to insist upon payment of the full amount of the 
invoice. We are at all times ready to meet you more than 
half way in adjusting differences; at the same time we 
believe you will fully appreciate that the goods would be 
practically a total loss to us at the very end of the season. 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER 31 



We earnestly trust that you will at once make remittance 
for the amount erroneously deducted. 
Yours truly 

Apology 

The Enterprise Mfg. Co., 

15 Liberty St., Pittsburg, Pa. 
Gentlemen : 

We regret to have to report our inability to ship your 
orders this week and we ask you to be as indulgent as 
possible with us. We are actually two months behind 
in shipments; in fact, for the first time in the history of 
this concern we must confess that we are dilatory in 
getting out orders for our patrons. These delays are 
exceedingly distasteful to us, but we assure you we are 
doing our best to catch up. We are working all hands, 
much to their dislike, to the full limit of the state labor 
laws, but it is unlikely that we can get your material out 
in less than four weeks. Will you kindly hereafter favor 
us with your orders about two weeks ahead of your 
actual requirements? 

Yours respectfully 

Explanation 

Messrs. P. & F. Corbin, 
Brooklyn, N. Y. 
Gentlemen : 

Our agent, Mr. Kimball, had a very distinct under- 
standing with your representative before placing the order 
for escutcheons, and any understanding you may have had 
subsequently with one of our subordinates was without 
our knowledge or consent. Aside from supplying new 
handles and escutcheons, we have been compelled to take 



32 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

off and refinish all the hardware to match the color of the 

sample handle, causing us needless delay and expense. 
We are prepared to pay you the amount agreed upon less 
the cost of the change. 

Respectfully yours 

Explanatory 

Messrs. Davidson Bros. 

Indianapolis, Ind. 
Gentlemen : 

We are in receipt of your favor of the 26th ult. and 
in reply beg to assure you that we have no intention of 
holding up your invoices for ninety days, as you state. 
Indeed, if they are held for that period, it must be on ac- 
count of short shipment, or for some other equally good 
reason. We endeavor to pay our bills within the thirty 
day limit, and it is only in cases such as we mention that 
they are held up. We trust that in the future there will 
be no more occasion for delay. In this case settlement 
was deferred on account of delay in delivery, as we have 
already informed you. A check in payment of the ac- 
count will be forwarded in three or four days. 

Truly yours 

Explanatory 

Mr. Robert Proctor, 

Decatur, 111. 
Dear Sir: 

We thank you for your favor of Oct. 12, and greatly 
appreciate its contents. 

Your credit memorandum dated Oct. 1, for $57, is 
entirely agreeable to us. We find that we were wrong in 
our claim, and accept credit as sent us. 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER 33 

In reference to our claim for goods returned under 
date of May 18, we shipped the goods by American Ex- 
press Co. as per receipt attached hereto. 

In reference to the Townsend contract, your repre- 
sentative, Mr. Henderson, yesterday advised us to call 
your New York office to straighten out the matter. Mr. 
Bishop will no doubt recollect that he promised us a 
commission for securing this kind of contract for you. 
The amount of the commission he did not state, but we 
were under the impression that it would be not less than 
10%. The writer expects to be in New York on Thurs- 
day morning, when he will call at your office and per- 
sonally present all the circumstances for your considera- 
tion. Cordially yours 

Explanatory 

Messrs. G. Bradstreet & Co., 
Taunton, Mass. 

Gentlemen : 

We have your letter dated the 7th inst, also the goods 
returned. We must confess that you are justified in re- 
turning these goods inasmuch as the sizes are not cor- 
rect. At the same time we would state that we receive 
thousands of dozens of these goods at our depository dur- 
ing the season, and it is practically impossible for us to 
examine each and every lot to discover whether the size 
tickets correspond with the sizes of the garments. These 
mistakes occur in the factory, and not in the shipping de- 
partment in New York. It is only when we are able to 
make a concise statement of the defects that we are in 
a position to remedy the fault. We await your further 
instructions. Yours truly 



34 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

The Home Manufacturing Co., 

Newark, N. J. 
Gentlemen : 

We regret to learn from your communication of the 
nth inst. that the material shipped to you on the 27th 
ult. has not yet been received. We have started an urgent 
tracer after this shipment. We are at a loss to know 
what occasioned the delay, but trust that the matter will 
be straightened out in a few days. 
Respectfully yours 

Proposing to Open an Account 

Catskill, N. Y., Oct. 14, 1919. 
S. T. Hartwell & Co., 

New York City. 
Dear Sirs: 

From a friend, Dr. W. B. Turner, who has long trans- 
acted business with you, I have heard of your well- 
established house and the most liberal terms, consonant 
with honest goods, upon which you conduct your affairs. 
I would like to open an account with you and can offer 
the very best references, anticipating receiving goods of 
the best quality at most favored rates. 

Please send samples according to enclosed schedule, 
with prices plainly indicated. 

Yours very truly, 

George Hatch. 

Opening Bank Account 

In order to open a bank account it is necessary to ob- 
tain an introduction from some one who is acquainted 
with the bank officials and will certify as to one's business 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER 35 

integrity and responsibility. The following are examples 
of forms used in this connection: 

Chicago, 111., Dec. 18, 19. . . . 
Cashier, State Bank of Chicago, 

Michigan Ave., Chicago. 
Dear Sir: 

We have decided to open a deposit account with you 
and would refer you to Messrs. John Farley & Co., Tif- 
fany Bros, and Henry R. Woolcraft as to our financial 
standing. Yours very truly, 

Introducing Applicant to Bank Account 

Gentlemen : 

This will serve to introduce to you Mr. Anthony Dyke- 
man, one of our clerks, who desires to open an account 
with you. Below find the signature of Mr. Dykeman 
for the purpose of identification. 

Yours very truly, 

James Rogers, 

A Al t-. , Asst. Cashier. 

Anthony Dykeman. 

Gentlemen : 

This will introduce to you my friend, Benjamin Eggle- 
ston, who wishes to open an account with you. 

I have known Mr. Eggleston for some time, and 
through the statements of friends of mine, who have 
known him very much longer, we believe Mr. Eggleston 
to be a good, straight, reputable man, and thus take 
pleasure in recommending him. 

Very truly yours, 
Gentlemen : 

This will introduce to you Mr. Robert Hopper, whom 
I have known for a number of years, while he was with 
the Press. 



36 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

I understand he is now starting out for himself in a 
printing brokerage business, and any courtesy you can 
show him in the matter of opening an account will be 
appreciated. 

Yours very truly, 
Gentlemen : 

This letter will introduce to you Mr. Walter F. Miller 
and with whom the writer has been acquainted for the 
past four years. 

He carries an account with us which is very satisfactory 
and we have every reason to believe that whatever trans- 
actions you may have with him will terminate in the same 
manner. 

Thanking you for any courtesies that you may extend 
to him, we beg to remain, 

Yours very truly, 

M. G. Holley Co., 
Secty. 

There are several particulars in which the foregoiing 
might be improved. It evinces carelessness on the part 
of the typist. 

The word "and" is unnecessary in the first sentence. 

"Terminate" is a word here misused. The bank does 
not wish to think of the "closing" of the account just 
as it opens, although it naturally would wish, when it 
does close, or terminate, that it should be in a satis- 
factory manner. The word "continue" would be a bet- 
ter one in this connection. 

The phrase "we beg" is seldom used at present, being 
considered as rather too subservient. It is unnecessary. 
"We remain" implies that there has been previous cor- 
respondence about the same matter. 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER 37 

Recommending Applicant for Bank Account 

Gentlemen : 

I have been interviewed by Mr. Walter Atkins, who, 
with some other young men, is doing a printing busi- 
ness at Street, under the name of the 

New York Co., and Mr. Atkins asks 

me to write you in relation to my knowledge of his char- 
acter, in connection with his firm opening an account 
with you. 

I beg to state in that connection that Mr. Atkins is a 

tenant in my apartment house, No. 94 

Street, and has been such, I judge, for about a year. 

He pays his rent promptly. He has been to see me 
several times since he has started in business for him- 
self and during those interviews I believe I have had an 
opportunity of forming an opinion as to his character. 

I take pleasure in stating that I believe him to be very 
honest and hard-working, and very desirous of succeed- 
ing in business. I know nothing about his partner in his 
present business venture, but I have seen him and judge 
him to be all right. 

I take pleasure in recalling the pleasant relations I had 
with you during the time I was one of your depositors, 
and with kindest regards, I beg to remain, 

Very truly, 

The above has many excellencies and a few defects. 
The writer is commendably scrupulous in stating the par- 
ticulars necessary for the bank to know, testifying to the 
young man's character, and stating also his ignorance 
concerning the partner. 

But the letter would be strengthened by several omis- 



38 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

sions. One good rule to remember is to use as few "ands" 
as possible. 

Also, avoid repetition of words or phrases, as "in con- 
nection" in the two first paragraphs. The second para- 
graph could be reduced to fewer words, thus: 

"Mr. Atkins has been for about a year a tenant in 
my apartment house, No. 94 Street." 

Paragraph three gives the essential information as to 
Mr. Atkins' integrity. 

Bank Requesting Patronage 

Mr. J. Peterson, 

Tarrytown, N. Y. 
Dear Sir: 

We invite your patronage as a depositor, and feel con- 
fident that any transactions you may have with this 
bank will prove mutually profitable and satisfactory. We 
receive deposits subject to check at sight, and we pay 
liberal interest on daily balances. We issue interest bear- 
ing certificates of deposit payable on demand or at a speci- 
fied time. We are well equipped to handle all kinds of 
trust business, and to act as executor, administrator, 
guardian, trustee of bond issues, transfer agent and regis- 
ter of stock. Accounts may be opened in person or by 
mail, and inquiries will be promptly answered. 
Very truly yours 

Negotiable Note 

$4,324.60. New York, April 12, 19. . . . 

Sixty days after date, I promise to pay to the order 
of William, Brokaw, at the Dime Bank, four thousand 
three hundred and twenty- four 60/100 dollars, value re- 
ceived. William Williams. 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER 39 

Non-Negotiable Note 

$4,324.00. New York, April 12, 19 

120 days after day, I promise to pay William Brokaw 
four thousand three hundred and twenty-four dollars, 
value received. William Williams. 

Negotiable Note 

$600. Phila., November 18, 19 

60 days after date I promise to pay to William Brokaw, 

or order, six hundred dollars, for value received. 

William Williams. 
Observe that the non-negotiable note is payable to 

Brokaw, but not to his order, nor to bearer. 

Negotiable Note 

$700. St. Louis, Oct. 21, 19. . . . 

Six months after date I promise to pay John Woods, 
or bearer, seven hundred dollars, value received. 

Thomas Macklin. 

A negotiable note is an instrument which passes from 
one person to another by indorsement and delivery, and 
which, if transferred before it is due, entitles the holder 
to collect the full amount which its face calls for. But 
there must be something on the face of the note to in- 
dicate the intention of the parties that it shall be trans- 
ferable by indorsement. According to commercial cus- 
tom and the laws of New York, such intention must be 
made manifest by the use of the word "order" or 
"bearer." 

A non-negotiable note is one made payable to a certain 
person and not to "order" or to "bearer." There are 
other things also which destroy the negotiability of a note. 



40 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

Thus, if the note is made payable upon some uncertain 
event happening, or if it contains an order or promise 
to do any act in addition to the payment of money, it is 
not negotiable. 

The important distinction between the two is that the 
holder of a negotiable note always has an absolute claim 
against the maker. Whereas, the assignee of a non-ne- 
gotiable note takes it subject to any counter-claim which 
the maker may meanwhile have acquired against his 
original holder and which may be legally deducted. 

A note which is not negotiable may be transferred by 
assignment. There is no particular form for assigning, 
the following words being sufficient: 

"I hereby assign the within note to Alfred Brown." 

"George Maxwell. ,, 

Bill of Sale 

A Bill of Sale is a formal instrument for the transfer 
or conveyance of property. To be valid it need not be 
in any particular form. Nor is it essential to its validity 
to have it recorded, although it may be for the interests 
of all parties that it should be filed for record. If it is 
not to be recorded a bill of sale is not required to be ac- 
knowledged, but if it is to be recorded it must be ac- 
knowledged. The following is a form of a Bill of Sale : 

Know All Men by These Presents, That I, James Mc- 
intosh, of Brooklyn, New York, in the County of Kings, 
and the State of New York, the party of the first part, 

for and in consideration of the sum of 

dollars, to be in hand paid, by The Holbrook Company of 
700 Pearl Street, New York City, the party of the second 
part, a corporation organized and operating under the 
laws of the State of New York, receipt of which is hereby 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER 41 

i » 

acknowledged, have bargained and sold, transferred, and 
set over, and do sell, set over, and transfer to the said 
Holbrook Company, all my right, title and interest, the 
following described article (or property) : 

t y 

And I hereby covenant with the said Holbrook Com- 
pany that I am the lawful owner of the said (article), that 
they are free from all incumbrances, that I have good 
right to sell the same as aforesaid ; and that I will warrant 
and defend the same against the lawful claims and de- 
mands of all persons. 

In witness whereof, I, the said James Mcintosh, here- 
unto set my hand and seal this twelfth day of March, 19. . 

James Mcintosh. 

Sealed and delivered in the presence of 
Witness : 

Thomas Aked, 

William Hartwell. 

Draft 

The Exchange National Bank, 

Pittsburg, Pa. 
Gentlemen : 

Enclosed please find sight draft on W. La Salle & 
Co. of your city. Kindly send proceeds at your earliest 
convenience to The State Bank, Montgomery, Alabama, 
and oblige, Yours very truly 

Soliciting Orders 

Messrs. Davis & Sanford, 

54 E. 28th St., New York City. 
Gentlemen : 

We have a large and varied collection of photographs 
suitable for magazine covers. In addition to life studies, 



42 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

there is a fine assortment of sea, landscape and nature 
studies of a wide diversity of interest suitable for calen- 
dars. Our artistic reputation is a sufficient guarantee of 
the quality of our work. If you are interested, we should 
be pleased to have our representative call on you with 
samples. Very truly yours 

Seeking Orders 

Messrs. Blake & Bullock, 

Plymouth, Mass. 
Dear Sirs: 

We are always in the market for 

of every description, and are prepared to pay the highest 
market prices. We should be glad to hear from you 
when you have any for sale. 

Truly yours 

Brief, Explicit Order for Goods 

The Spencer Wire Co. 

Springfield, Mass. 
Gentlemen : 

Please send us at once by fast freight 2,000 lbs. No. 18 
soft bright annealed clean chain wire. Kindly pack in 
barrels to prevent rusting. 

Owing to a mistake of an inexperienced clerk our 
order of the 16th inst. was made to read "2,000 lbs." 
instead of 200 lbs. Please make change accordingly. 

Very truly 

Acknowledging Receipt of an Order 

The former stilted phraseology "your favor of the 28th 
inst. is duly received and contents carefully noted" is no 
longer approved as a regular form. In fact, no set form 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER 43 

is now to be recommended. With each letter it is well 
to vary the form slightly, to make it somewhat individual, 
although the facts communicated may be exactly the 
same. This does not apply, however, to what are known 
as "form" letters. 

It stands to reason that the contents will be noted with 
care, so that statement is "unnecessary verbiage," 

The following points should be considered in acknowl- 
edging an order : Acknowledgment of order with thanks ; 
mention of date of order; name of article or other item 
which will serve to identify subject of correspondence 
and in case of misunderstanding prevent confusion with 
other orders; the date of shipment and manner of ship- 
ment; finally, a courteous conclusion expressing confi- 
dence in quality of goods, hope of continued business, etc. 

If for any reason the date of shipping cannot be sent 
when acknowledging order, the date should be announced 
later. 

Example : 

New York, N. Y., May 26, 1919. 

Messrs. Brown, Jones & Co., 
Cornwall, N. Y. 

Gentlemen : 

We are pleased to inform you that the 

ordered by you May 23 have been shipped today by 
freight, the Hudson River Line. Invoice and bill of lading 
are enclosed. 

Very truly yours, 

Green, Black & Co. 
By 



44 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

Seeking Business 
Mr. J. W. Farley, 

Burlington, N. J. 
Dear Sir: 

A contract for a card in the next issue of the Lawyers 
Quarterly, and for representation in the next volume of 
the Sharp Directory, has been made by the undersigned. 
I am the local attorney for the Credit Clearing House, 
and I am in a position to render prompt and superior 
service. Until the above-named publications are issued, 
I refer you to the eastern office of the American Lawyers 
Co., New York City. I assure you that every endeavor 
will be made to get results on all business intrusted to me. 
Yours very truly 

Orders 
Messrs. H. Kellogg & Co., 

36 John St., New York City. 
Gentlemen : 

We have frequently sent you letters concerning 

but have not evidently succeeded in interesting you. Do 
not forget that our prices for this work are in no sense 
prohibitive and do not exceed those for high grade print- 
ing. We should like an opportunity to submit samples 
and prices. Respectfully yours 

The above letter is weak in its first paragraph, in calling 
attention to failure to interest. The negative note should 
be omitted. 

Letter From Brokerage Firm 
The drastic liquidation of the past few months has 
now brought stock down to such a point that we are 
about to take a definite position, which is of vital interest 
to every investor. You have no time to lose. 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER 45 

Sign the enclosed order blank and we will send you 
at once the last Investment and Barometer Letters in 
which we have specifically advised clients what to do. 
Very truly yours, 

Paul C. Rice, 
Assistant to the President. 
PCRICE 
EMK 

P. S. — If formerly you received a more complete serv- 
ice than we now put before you and desire to renew for 
the same again, write us to that effect. But to avoid de- 
lays in getting our advice immediately sign and mail this 
order now. 

MISCELLANEOUS 
Suggesting Reasons for Taking Advertising Space 

The first six pages of the enclosed booklet contain a 
brief discussion of a vitally interesting subject to Ameri- 
can manufacturers — Export Advertising. The book also 
reproduces numerous letters from manufacturers who 
have successfully entered the foreign markets, stating 
their actual experience in getting business through adver- 
tising in the The more in- 
teresting statements in these letters are underscored, so 
that but a few minutes are necessary to go through the 
booklet. 

The is prepared to help 

your company get export business as it is assisting 800 
other manufacturers. May we send you sample copies 
of our four editions and rates? 

Very truly yours, 

Publisher. 



46 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 



Reminder 
Miss 



Dear Madam: 

A great many of our customers request that we notify 

them when payments on their are due. 

For your convenience, therefore, we are sending you this 
memorandum showing below the date and amount due 
on your 

Please do not consider this a collection letter — it is 
simply a reminder sent you for your convenience, and 
mailed to you when payments are due. 

Your next payment is due April i and amounts to 

You need not write us a letter, but simply pin a check 
or money order to this one and mail in the enclosed self- 
addressed envelope. 

Thanking you in advance for your prompt remittance, 
we remain, 

Yours very truly 

FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE 

Concerning correspondence with Latin countries, a man 
of experience says that letters should be written as far 
as possible in the language of the firm to which they are 
addressed. 

When quoting weights and measures, always use the 
system of the country of your correspondent. In this 
connection, we submit the following, an extract from a 
letter recently received from a responsible firm in Mar- 
seilles : 

"As long as American merchants will continue to 
print catalogues in English only, and quote figures 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER 47 

in inches, yards and pounds, they will find great 
difficulty in dealing with us. Imitate in this point 
the Germans who have always edited their cata- 
logues in the language of the country to which it was 
sent, using in its text figures that could easily be 
understood by the readers who have to peruse it." 

It is only natural that these elementary principles should 
be observed by any manufacturer or merchant who 
wishes to obtain results from his campaign. 

As regards form and style, there is no perceptible dif- 
ference between the form of a letter addressed to a Span- 
ish firm and that addressed to an American concern, al- 
though it is true that Latin correspondents very often 
outdo themselves in politeness. It would seem that the 
best way for an American correspondent to be courteous 
to a prospective customer is to address him in the lan- 
guage he best understands. 



48 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 



SUMMARY 

We write letters before we write literature, and credit- 
able correspondence requires the cultivation of correct 
language. The cardinal virtues of correspondence are 
clearness of expression, brevity of statement, and cour- 
teousness of manner. Much latitude is allowed for in- 
' dividual taste, but the tendency in business and social 
letters is toward simplicity and uniformity, yet various 
high-sounding phrases used in former days are now 
looked upon as affectations. 

The salutation is a complimentary term used to begin 
a letter; custom authorizes several forms. In the salu- 
tation, as in other parts of business correspondence, the 
tendency is toward simplicity. According to the most 
approved practices, the term "Dear Sir" is invariably 
used in addressing a man, "Dear Madam" in addressing 
a woman, whether married or not, and "Gentlemen" in 
addressing a firm or corporation. Such terms as "Sir" 
and "My Dear Sir" are still used to a large extent. In 
addressing individuals with whom the writer is on inti- 
mate terms, such salutations as "Dear Mr. Smith," "My 
Dear Mr. Smith," "Dear Mr. Jones," or "My Dear Mr. 
Jones" are frequently used and are good form. In writ- 
ing to people of distinction it is not improper to say 
"Dear Mr. President," "Dear Mr. Governor," "Dear Mr. 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER *9 

Secretary/' "Dear Bishop," "Reverend Sir," "Reverend 
and Dear Sir," but as a rule none of the people thus ad- 
dressed would object to the simple salutation "Dear Sir," 
which contains no element of affectation, and, like gold 
coin, is acceptable the world over. In sending official 
communications to the President of the United States, it 
is the established custom to address them simply "To 
the President," and this example of American simplic- 
ity scarcely can be carried too far in business correspon- 
dence. In salutations, abbreviations are objectionable, 
and under no circumstances should "Dear" be written 
"Dr." or "Sir" abbreviated into "Sr." If the word "Gen- 
tlemen" is used in the salutation, always spell out the 
word in full and never shorten it into "Gents." This is 
a particularly vulgar abomination. 

The body of the letter is the statement of fact to be 
conveyed and generally consists of three parts, namely, 
the introductory sentence, the subject matter, and the 
closing sentence. In a business letter, if there has been 
no previous correspondence, the introductory sentence 
should state the purpose of the communication. If there 
has been previous correspondence, the introductory sen- 
tence should refer to it, giving the date of each letter to 
which reference is made, so that the recipient may easily 
obtain complete records from his files. 

The first line of the body of every letter should be 
begun about one inch from the margin line ; that is, about 
two inches from the edge of the paper. In typewriting, 
a proper beginning on the first line may be made by simply 
shifting the cylinder after writing the words "Dear Sir." 
From this fact some writers erroneously infer that the 
beginning should be made by simply shifting the cylinder 



50 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

after any salutation, however lengthy, but there is na 
good reason for this. Neither is there any logical reason 
why subsequent paragraphs should be indented any 
greater or less distance than the first. A good rule is 
to allow one inch as the margin at the left hand of every 
business letter, and to begin every paragraph an inch 
from the margin line, or, in other words, two inches from 
the edge of the paper. 

In writing the body of the letter, a paragraph should 
be made of each subject, however short, and paragraphs 
should not be omitted for the sake of saving space or 
giving the letter a solid appearance. If condensation is 
necessary, it should be effected by leaving out small ideas 
and not by leaving out small words or paragraphs. On 
the other hand, one should guard against making para- 
graphs of different sentences referring to the same sub- 
ject. Always bear in mind that it is the subject and not 
the quantity of matter that distinguishes the paragraph. 

The subject matter should be brief, clear, orderly, and 
to the point. In writing a letter, the fact should be borne 
in mind that it may be perused and criticised by many 
people besides the one to whom it is addressed, and that 
its publication in some newspaper, or its appearance as 
evidence in a court of justice, are among the possibilities. 
Every letter should be in keeping with the better nature of 
the writer and the character of the institution which he 
represents, and should show an equal consideration for 
the recipient and any other individual or concern to 
which it may in the course of business be referred. While 
it is necessary to state the subject matter of every letter 
clearly, and sometimes emphatically, it is even more 
necessary to guard against expressions of criticism, an- 
ger, or frivolity. 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER 51 

In correspondence requiring unusual caution and di- 
plomacy it is well to repeat in the opening sentence the 
substance of the letter to which your own communica- 
tion is an answer. This insures a full presentation of the 
subject matter to such people as may not have seen the 
complete correspondence. The closing sentence of a let- 
ter usually refers to future correspondence or is an 
expression of appreciation on account of something done. 
When the expression of sentiment appropriate to the last 
sentence has been fully made in the body of the letter, no 
restatement is necessary. Do not add anything in the 
way of complimentary closing on the theory that some 
such expression is necessary to make the letter complete. 

The complimentary closing must be adapted to your 
relation to the person addressed. If you are asking a 
concession from some one whom you especially respect 
and esteem, "Yours respectfully" would be appropriate, 
while if you are writing to a business equal, "Yours 
truly" would serve equally well. 

The signature should follow the complimentary closing 
on a line below and end well toward the right margin of 
the page. If the letter is written by a person as the 
representative of another person, firm, or corporation, the 
official position of the writer should be added to his sig- 
nature. The letters of firms and corporations should 
bear the signature of some officer, as "John Y. Smith, 
Secretary," and when such signature is written by a 
subordinate, the writer should put his own name or initials 
under the official signature. Rubber stamp signatures 
should not be tolerated under any circumstances. A 
rubber stamp can readily be used by anybody with or 
without authority, it is a temptation to carelessness, if 
nothing worse, and is illegal. 



52 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

A letter making a request of any kind should approach 
the subject in a direct manner. The nature of the re- 
quest should be stated at the outset, and if any explana- 
tion follow, be brief and to the point. If it should become 
necessary to write a letter for a remittance on an account 
not yet due; for the privilege of drawing on a prompt- 
paying customer earlier than the usual time; for an ex- 
tension of time on an account or other obligation, or for 
an unusual favor of any kind, special care should be 
exercised in the manner of presenting the request. The 
wording of such a letter might easily be such as to strain 
business relations, even though there be. nothing unrea- 
sonable or unbusinesslike in the nature of the request. 
The tone of such letters is governed by the urgency of 
the case, and the prominence the writer considers it 
prudent to give to any sense of obligation he may be 
conscious is due himself or his correspondent. 

A letter of introduction, in which a person simply intro- 
duces one business acquaintance to another, does not 
require any words of commendation. The fact that the 
letter is given is considered an indorsement of the bearer. 
Caution should be exercised in the preparation of a letter 
of introduction or recommendation. While the natural 
impulse of every kind-hearted person is to write such 
a letter when called upon, especially for one in whom 
he feels interested, and the temptation is often strong 
to give the virtues of the applicant all the prominence 
warranted by fact, and to ignore his weakness, it should 
be borne in mind that such a transaction may have a wider 
significance than was intended. The applicant might be 
intrusted with duties or responsibilities, upon the strength 
of such a letter, which the writer did not suppose were 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER 53 

within his reach, and the person or firm engaging him 
might be subjected to great inconvenience or loss through 
his incompetency or dishonesty. Thus the applicant, in- 
stead of having been benefited, as the writer hoped, would 
be discredited, and the writer's reputation for good judg- 
ment, and perhaps for veracity, would be impaired. 

A letter of application should be written with the ut- 
most care and precision. The writer should subject 
every portion of his letter to the closest scrutiny before 
allowing it to pass out of his hands, bearing in mind 
that the experienced eye of the business man will detect 
the slightest error, and that he will not only judge of its 
merits as a mechanical production, but will quickly form 
his estimate of its author. If the letter is characterized by 
assurance or boastfulness, it is not likely to be regarded 
with favor; and again, if the writer speaks very timidly 
or diffidently regarding his qualifications, it is liable to 
tell against him, as indicating a lack of initiative and 
energy. 

The business man is frequently confronted by circum- 
stances that make the writing of explanatory letters a 
very difficult task ; and perhaps the most perplexing ones 
to write are those regarding complaints or misunderstand- 
ings, in which it may become necessary to conciliate or 
censure persons whose business and good will it is de- 
sired to retain. Misunderstandings sometimes arise in 
business, and careful treatment of disputed points at the 
critical time may avert difficulties which another course 
might precipitate. The complications that may arise in 
any business are peculiar to itself, and no correspondent 
is competent to deal with them until he has acquired a 
good knowledge of the business and of the parties with 
whom he is dealing. Sometimes, though rarely, a man; 



54 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

may be subjected to so much trouble and annoyance by 
the unbusinesslike methods of another, that he ceases to 
care whether business relations are sustained or not, and 
writes very pointedly. This would not excuse or justify 
him, however, in writing anything discourteous. 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER 55 



WRITING FOR PUBLICATION 

Southey tells us that one of the first effects of print- 
ing was to make proud men look on learning as dis- 
graced by being brought within the reach of the common 
people. When laymen in public life were enabled to 
procure books, the pride of aristocracy took an absurd 
course, insomuch that at one time it was deemed deroga- 
tory to a nobleman if he could read or write. Even 
scholars themselves complained that the reputation of 
learning and the respect due it and its rewards were 
lowered when it was thrown open to all men. Ignorance 
was for some generations considered a mark of distinc- 
tion, by which a man of gentle birth chose, not infre- 
quently, to make it apparent that he was no more obliged 
to live by the toil of his brain than by the sweat of his 
brow. 

Times have changed. The distinction that once at- 
tached to a man who could neither read nor write has 
become a disgrace. Education is a necessity. A man 
must converse, write letters, narrate, describe, and the 
manner in- which he does these determines largely his 
social and business standing. Frequently he may be 
called upon to prepare a letter or an article for publica- 
tion. The question is whether he will do it well or ill, 
and not whether he w r ill or will not do it. A large propor- 
tion of intelligent people appear in print in the course of 



56 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

their lives, and a still larger proportion try. There is 
no field in which distinction is so universally sought as 
in literature. Editors want material, and they want more 
than they can get. Much that is submitted for publica- 
tion is rejected because it is worthless, or worse, both in 
substance and form. Much is rejected because it is 
badly presented, or because it is unsuitable, although its 
substance may be good. 

"Often out of fifty manuscripts" says Harper's Maga- 
zine, "not a single one is available for use, however in- 
teresting in other respects some of them may be. There is 
the fairly well-written essay or story utterly devoid of 
human interest. There is the travel sketch, which would 
be good if it had any novelty, or the character sketch, 
equally trite, and, it may be, disguised by an outlandish 
dialect. There is the story, elaborately manufactured 
with ingenious skill, but without a breath of genius or a 
single trace of the storyteller's native art; another story 
that has good points but no concentration of interest ; and 
still another, written to enforce a moral, overstrained, for 
the effect is new and unnatural. This overstrain is aj>» 
parent in another kind of story, a subjective drama, with 
no clear motive and lacking both temper and tempera- 
ment. And here is a story that will go back to the author 
with a kind note, because it shows genius, though defec- 
tive in structure and execution. Some essays are offered, 
but the views presented in most of them are obvious, and 
there is no intellectual satisfaction in their style. Often 
it seems to the editor that if the contributor did not try 
so hard he would do a better thing. First, as to his 
theme, he seeks something out of the way rather than 
the thing at hand which has been taken to heart, and is, 
therefore, likely to be interesting. Then, as to manner, 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER 57 

he strives to be unusual and commits himself to affecta- 
tions. We have here in view writers who have possibili- 
ties as distinguished from those who write wholly at 
random, taking nothing to heart, 'trying their hand' at 
literature with no equipment and no sense of things." 

"A news article, or story, as it is called, ,, says E. L. 
Shuman in Practical Journalism, "is constructed upon 
plans and specifications of its own, which may be de- 
fined as clearly as those governing a poem or a novel. 
In its aim and in its form the newspaper article is the 
exact opposite of a sermon or a tale of fiction. The well- 
constructed sermon, novel, or drama begins with the 
less important details and works up to a climax near the 
end, in which the vital point of the whole production is 
revealed. The well-constructed news story begins with 
its most important fact and ends with the least impor- 
tant. The novelist conceals his message as long as possi- 
ble. The newspaper writer tells forth his message as 
quickly as words will let him. The fiction writer begins 
at the beginning and follows the course of events chro- 
nologically until he reaches his dramatic climax. The 
reporter puts his climax into his first sentence. 

"This is the most important professional secret that can 
be imparted to the beginner. Put the point of your whole 
story into the first sentence, and the shorter the sentence 
the better. Whether the story be two columns or two 
inches long, cram the marrow of it into the first para- 
graph. Banish the school-essay idea that there must be 
an introduction or preliminary explanation of any kind. 
Put your best, strongest, most startling statement first, 
and follow it with a few other brief sentences summing 
up the whole matter, so that the rest of the article might 
be killed and the story still would be covered. Every 



58 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

newspaper report should answer the questions, What? 
Who? Where? When? Why? and should do it in the 
first paragraph as nearly as possible. This is the first 
and greatest commandment in the matter of journalistic 
style, and the penalty for breaking it is the waste-basket 
and swift oblivion/' 

For beginners in literary work local newspapers af- 
ford excellent opportunities for practice. They are less 
pretentious and exacting than magazines of good repute, 
and their standards of excellence are not so high. From 
the preparation of news items and letters one who is 
ambitious may get the experience and practice that will 
stimulate effort and develop powers for better things. 
The following excellent directions are given by C. W. 
Bardeen : 

"Newspaper letters should be above all things gossipy. 
The public cares nothing for your general reflections on 
manners, science and political economy, but will be glad 
to read vivacious descriptions of what you have seen and 
heard. Whether it is something to tell depends not upon 
whether it interests you, but upon whether it is likely 
to interest the readers of the newspaper to which you 
are writing. That Deacon Smith is repairing his stone 
fence, or that Mrs. Jackson's baby has the measles, are 
facts momentous to the households concerned, without 
being of the least import to the multitude who read the 
paper. 

"Newspaper readers have no time to waste on intro- 
ductions. Your excuse for occupying space is that you 
have something to tell, and you must prove that you 
have by telling it from the start. The more abrupt its 
opening, the more likely the letter is to be read. If you 
can think of any incident typical of the whole affair, or 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER 5£ 

any witty remark that summarizes it, use something of 
that sort. If not, you can at least be frank and straight- 
forward, telling your story simply, and beginning where 
the story began. This is done, not by vaguely mention- 
ing a dozen things, but by minutely describing the one 
of the dozen which, fairly grasped, will suggest all the 
rest. A single incident in detail, a bit of conversation 
word for word, each typical of the time and place, will 
make the scene more real than any amount of generaliz- 
ing. Don't talk about 'A portly gentleman from an 
interior village/ but give his name. Be direct, definite, 
epigrammatic, and let your reader draw his own conclu- 
sions. If you have a specially characteristic incident, 
save it for the last, and let your reader close with a 
smack of his lips. But if you can't be witty or startling, 
you can at least be simple, and stop when the story stops. 
"In the zeal of accomplishment, young writers are apt 
to feel an impulse, as they reach the last page, to do up 
the manuscript at once and send it off without looking 
it over. This in an unpardonable mistake. The reread- 
ing and rewriting are the most valuable part of this prac- 
tice. The first draft should be composed rapidly, with- 
out too much search for each expression, but with the 
main purpose to reproduce the scene as vividly as possi- 
ble. But in revision, each sentence should be weighed 
and turned. Does it express my meaning unmistakably? 
Is it forcible? Is this just the right word? Would that 
be regarded as a low or slang expression ? 

"If one hopes some time to write better than local let- 
ters, one must write these local letters with all possible 
care. Especially is it important to chop up the para- 
graphs. The reader's attention is attracted by open 
spaces. One of the charms of rapid dialogue in print is 



60 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

that the eye can grasp a sentence or two at a glance, with- 
out boring into a solid paragraph. For this, as well as 
other reasons, preference should be given to dialogue over 
description. In general seek to be crisp as well as com- 
pact." 

In writing for publication your language should be 
simple, direct, good English — the English used by the best 
speakers and the people of best education. Select your 
words with care, preferring those whose meanings will 
express your ideas exactly, and then arrange them in 
sentences in the way that is approved by good writers of 
our own times. "Watch daily the style of the paper to 
which you would contribute," says Frank L. Greene. 
"Observe its methods of punctuation, capitalization, its 
forms of spelling and abbreviation, departmental fea- 
tures, and other characteristics that give it a distinct 
style; and then make your copy conform to that style. 
Read over your own contributions as they appear in 
print, and observe what changes, if any, were made in 
your copy. Every sentence should be complete in its 
grammatical form. Do not write disconnected phrases, 
such as 'Funeral Saturday;' 'consideration, $1,000;' 'in- 
surance, $75,000/ Extend to a complete sentence, as 
'The funeral will be held Saturday ;' 'The price paid was 
$71,000/ 'The amount of the insurance is $75,000/ Do not 
phrase notices of coming events in the language of pulpit 
announcements. Remember that the newspaper is alto- 
gether impersonal and makes these announcements, for 
all people, all sects, all denominations. Therefore, it 
does not 'hope every member will be present/ or feel 
that 'this is a glorious work and should be liberally sup- 
ported/ or express the thousand and one other common- 
places that are altogether personal to the people imme- 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER 61 

diately concerned. The newspaper seeks simply to give 
the news-kernel of the matter, the announcement that 
such-and-such a thing is to happen. 

"Avoid grandiloquent phrases and words of praise. 
Do not get the idea that functions are to be glorified. Few 
of them are 'grand/ 'splendid/ 'brilliant/ Overworked 
adjectives in such cases generally have an effect exactly 
the reverse of that intended. Use simply words of en- 
couragement for laudable institutions or enterprises, but 
always have a superlative left in the locker. 

"Oldtime journalism was very fond of the words 'we' 
and 'our/ They have practically fallen into disuse, and, 
even where retained in service, are only employed as 
editorial personifications. Correspondents and reporters 
should always refer to themselves in connection with 
the paper as 'representative of The — ' in the rare in- 
stances when it is necessary to refer to themselves at all. 
On no occasion use such words as 'the scribe/ 'pencil 
pusher/ 'ye editor/ and other would-be facetious phrases 
to indicate a newspaper man. It is a general rule and a 
wise one that modern journalism is impersonal, that the 
identity of the writer is merged in the newspaper's 
name." 

In theory at least newspapers and periodicals insist 
that opinions of writers, especially political and religious 
opinions, shall not be expressed in reports of events and 
scenes except when articles are signed. In other words, 
the line is drawn between narration and description as one 
class of literature and editorial comment as another. Ab- 
stract and concrete discourse are both effective in their 
respective ways, but average persons are more inclined 
to explain and argue than to narrate and describe. If 
you want to interest and persuade people do not depend 



62 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

upon their abstract mentality. Appeal to their senses. 
Material pictures are not always available or expedient, 
but comparisons and examples make graphic impressions. 
To say that the distance across Texas is greater than the 
distance between New York City and Chicago, conveys a 
better idea of the size of the Lone Star State than to 
enumerate mileage. To see specific things and transmit 
such sights to others is more effective than metaphysical 
discourse. "The more I think of it," says Ruskin, "I 
find this conclusion more impressed upon me — that the 
greatest thing a human soul ever does in this world is to 
see something, and tell what it saw in a plain way. Hun- 
dreds of people can talk for one who can think, but thou- 
sands can think for one who can see. To see clearly is 
poetry, prophecy, and religion — all in one. Therefore, 
finding the world more or less divided into thinkers and 
seers, I believe we shall find also that the seers are 
wholly the greater race of the two. The true seer always 
feels as intensely as any one else but he does not much 
describe his feelings. He tells you whom he met, and 
what they said; leaves you to make out from that what 
they feel and what he feels, but goes into little detail. 
And, generally speaking, pathetic writing and careful ex- 
planation of passion are quite easy, compared with this 
plain recording of what people said and did, or with the 
right invention of what they are likely to say and do ; fof 
this reason, that to invent a story or admirably and thor- 
oughly tell any part of a story it is necessary to grasp the 
entire mind of every personage concerned in it and know 
precisely how they would be affected by what happens; 
which to do requires a colossal intellect ; but to describe a 
separate emotion delicately it is only needed that one 
should feel it oneself; and thousands of people are ca- 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER 63 

« 
pable of feeling this or that noble emotion, for one who 
is able to enter into all the feelings of somebody sitting 
on the other side of the table." 

When manuscript is sent to a publisher it should never 
be rolled but should be sent flat, in order that the reader 
may handle it with ease. The author's name and address 
should be written on the upper left-hand corner, and the 
number of words in the upper right-hand corner. A 
stamped, self-addressed envelope should be enclosed with 
the manuscript. It is an easy matter for a page or more 
of manuscript to be lost either in the editor's sanctum 
or the printing shof> — hence, the author should always 
retain for himself, a complete copy of his work to pro- 
vide against possible loss. 



64 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 



WORDS AND THEIR USE 

"Mend your speech," says Shakespeare, "Lest it mar 
your fortune." Two essential things for everybody in 
active life to know are what to say and how to say it. 
The first thing no art can teach. The second thing may 
be acquired by study and practice. Language instruc- 
tion is usually dry and barren, but by subordinating rules 
and definitions to examples and exercises, as it is sought 
to do in "Business English," such work may be fruit- 
ful and fascinating. 

Primitive man had no need of cultivated speech. 
Neither has the uncivilized modern one. His thoughts 
are almost as limited as his vocabulary. His wishes, 
ideas, demands, are simple. They call for no niceties of 
expression. Is he hungry, thirsty, tired? He may make 
these feelings known, no matter how carelessly or faultily 
he selects his words or frames his sentences. It matters 
little whether he grunts or groans. His fellows under- 
stand. 

In a modified degree this may be said of those who 
are content to be "hewers of wood and drawers of wa- 
ter." Their usefulness in the universal plan of things 
depends little on the way in which they express their 
thoughts. It is when the relations of people to one an- 
other grow complex that exactness in communicating 
ideas becomes necessary. The illiterate immigrant from 



WORDS AND THEIR USE 65 

Europe may begin his business career a week after land- 
ing in America and successfully sell oranges from a push- 
cart with but few English words, such as "T'ree for five," 
at his command. 

Many who are native born thrive without obtaining 
more than a scant knowledge of their own language. This 
is because they adhere to the rudiments of barter and 
trade. But those who are ambitious to follow the more 
complicated paths of society and business, leading to po- 
sitions of responsibility and standing, will often find 
themselves required to know not only what to say but 
how to say it. This is so simple a truth that it seems a 
waste of words to state it. 

As with all art, composition has rules. These have to 
do with the selection of words and their arrangement 
in sentences. The special aims in all language study are 
correctness, readiness, and effectiveness. 

I. Correctness of expression is secured not by many 
rules but by the constant application of a few essential 
ones, until correct speech becomes a habit. Such rules 
bear upon the relation of words in sentences. 

II. Readiness of expression is acquired through study 
of a few simple language principles, with much practice 
in their application. Many persons lack readiness in the 
use of language because of their limited power of ex- 
pression. They express a thought in but one way, or at 
least in one or two ways. Such persons should have much 
practice in expressing the same ideas in various ways, 
that they may increase quantity of thought expression. 
A simple exercise, which one may practice at will, is to 
state some fact or express a thought in as many ways as 
possible. One way of expressing a thought may be 
clearer, more pleasing, or more effective than another 



66 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

way. Power to express the same fact or thought in 
different ways will enable a person to give a desired 
quality to his language. When this fact is rightly un- 
derstood, the power and beauty of language will be better 
appreciated; the ability to express one's self readily and 
effectively will be properly valued. 

A few minutes spent each day in conscientious effort 
to express the same thought in a variety of ways will 
greatly increase one's facility in the use of language and 
give him a command of words or expressions to suit 
specific needs. For readiness of expression, it is not 
only necessary that one have a full vocabulary and the 
power to use words in various combinations, but one 
must respond to various feelings and impulses. The cul- 
tivation of the emotions necessitates interest in many 
things not immediately related to one's life-work and 
interests. It requires acquaintance with life and c 
ditions as they affect people in general. Often the abil- 
ity of a person to express his own thoughts or to inter- 
pret those of others varies with his emotional response 
to language. 

III. Effective expression is gained through cultiva- 
tion of language judgment. The ability to recognize qual- 
ity is developed by comparing articles and objects of the 
same kind with one another. For example, by compar- 
ing different silks a number of times, a person may gain 
ability to determine a quality of silk. This ability tr 
judge silk cannot be gained by memorizing facts about 
silk but only by actually handling and comparing silk 
with silk. This process of comparison is the one by 
which correct estimates of values is always gained; and 
just to the extent that such judgment is exercised will 
a better working judgment be established. This can 



WORDS AND THEIR USE 67 

be done only by comparing art with art, music with 
music, or language with language. 

GENERAL AND SPECIFIC WORDS 

A strong, plumb, durable wall cannot be built with 
ill-shaped, half-baked bricks. Neither can a good sen- 
tence be made of poorly chosen words. It is the un- 
skilled writer or speaker who uses the words which are 
the most ready. We give much thought to the selection 
of our shoes, coats, and hats. How many take as much 
care in dressing their ideas? There are certain rules 
which aid the judgment in making a choice. 

As to their meaning, words may be divided into two 
classes, general and specific. General words "sum up 
qualities or many objects or conditions. Specific words 
have a narrower and definite application. Both are of 
value when used properly, but general words are often 
misused. "Finance" is a general word; "banking" a 
specific term. "Money ,, is general; "dollar" specific. 
We could not very well get along without such words 
as "finance," "financier," and. "financial." How awk- 
ward and complicated would be a sentence which should 
express in other words, "He shapes the financial policy 
of the government." This is an example of a correct 
use of the word "financial." Here is a sentence, and one 
often heard, in which the same word is misapplied : "He 
is financially embarrassed." "Finance" is a word of too 
broad meaning to be applied to the business affairs of an 
individual. General words are the refuge of one who 
has nothing to say but who insists on using his tongue 
or his pen. They often make up the bulk of political 
speeches. Thus has arisen the term "glittering gener- 
alities." 



68 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

In specific words lies strength as well as exactness. If 
you say, "He is an official in a banking institution," when 
you mean "He is cashier of the First National Bank," 
you convey a vague idea. Get into your working vocabu- 
lary as many specific words as you can and use them in 
their proper places. Everything in the universe has a 
name. Learn as many of these names as you can. It 
would be impossible for any one man to have a complete 
knowledge of the innumerable technical terms given to 
objects and parts of objects, but the habit of finding out 
and retaining specific names is a good one to form. The 
more specific names you have at your command the more 
easily and more exactly will you be able to express your 
thoughts. You would laugh at a person who spoke of 
"the thing you turn in opening a door," instead of saying 
"the door knob," but you often hear the forward deck 
of a steamer described as "the front end," or the crown 
of a hat as its "top." 

One should learn to use not only specific nouns but 
specific verbs and adjectives and adverbs. To compare 
a sentence to a painting may help one to understand the 
relative value of the different parts of speech. The nouns 
are the mountains, trees, rocks, and rivers in the scene. 
They are the fundamentals. The verbs are the expression 
of action. They make the picture either one of motion or 
of peace. The adjectives are the blue sky, the green fol- 
iage, the gray rocks. Adverbs define, accept, or limit ac- 
tion or passiveness. They make clear that the artist 
wishes to express the tumbling of angry waves or the 
placid restfulness of a plain. 

A person of limited vocabulary shows greatest poverty 
of speech in the small number of adjectives at his com- 
mand. He uses few shades of color in his word picture. 



WORDS AND THEIR USE 69 

His descriptions are commonplace. Any number of ex- 
amples might be cited, but a few will serve our purpose. 
The adjective "funny," for instance, is made to do duty 
in many places where any one of a dozen of its brethren 
would be better employed. We say, "This is funny 
weather," "He acts funny," "It seems funny," "They're 
not here; how funny!" and all the time there are such 
exact descriptive words as "unusual," "peculiar," 
"strange," "odd," "fantastic," "ludicrous," and "queer," 
standing idly about rusting from disuse ! Take the word 
"awful." As defined in Webster's Dictionary it means 
"Oppressing with fear or horror; appalling; terrible, as 
an awful scene." Therefore, to be consistent, "an awful 
nice time" must be an "appallingly nice time," a time so 
"nice" that it oppresses one with fear or horror ! 

Although big words sometimes carry meanings more 
exactly than little ones, the reverse is often true. In 
making a choice they should be put to careful test. 

Among the long words which are needed are those 
which have been coined to fit the conditions of our com- 
plex civilization. They describe things in science, com- 
merce, and various fields of modern thought. They are 
such words as "electricity," "automobile," "individuality," 
"comprehensive." 

In using long words one should be careful not to get 
up on stilts ! In nine cases out of ten the little word will 
be the better one to choose. A man who could master 
even half of the one-syllabled words in our language, who 
could select or choose from them at will, could speak or 
write with great ease and exactness. 

In many of the books of the Bible are to be found 
striking instances of the power and beauty of little words 
well chosen and rightly placed. 



70 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

But the untrained writer, the college senior composing 
his oration, the new reporter, and the business man who 
looks upon cultivated speech as a "literary luxury," each 
seems to be moved, when he writes for the printer or 
speaks in public, to couch his thoughts in unwieldy long 
words. Perhaps he tries to add weight and importance to 
his thin-shanked thoughts by verbal padding. But no one 
is tricked. The game is old! The readers tire, the au- 
dience yawns, the diners light fresh cigars. Whatever 
meaning he tries to impart is so buried in polysyllables 
as to glow but dimly. * 

Here are a few such pronouncements, with transla- 
tions : 

To discharge an indebtedness ; to pay a bill. 

Interrogated the individual; questioned some one. 

The nation's chief magistrate beheld a vast concourse 
of expectant citizens; the president saw many people 
waiting. 

Devastated by a disastrous conflagration ; big fire. 

The consensus of public opinion appears to be; many 
seem to think. 

WORDS TO BE AVOIDED 

In choosing words much is gained if you know which 
ones are to be avoided altogether. There are such words. 
Some of them are frequently used, but they do not have 
the sanction of good taste. They add nothing of clear- 
ness, or force, or elegance to one's speech. 

Among such words are those taken bodily from foreign 
languages, and for which there are good English equiva- 
lents. Happily the custom of using here and there words 



WORDS AND THEIR USE 71 

from the Latin or Greek or French tongues is now practi- 
cally obsolete in this country. It has been laughed out. 

SLANG WORDS 

Another class of words which, if not altogether avoided, 
should be used sparingly, is slang. Slang is really meta- 
phor, but metaphor which has become dog-eared from 
much handling. Originally slang phrases were good fig- 
ures of speech. But one may have too much, even of a 
good thing. So bright a thing as the reputation of a hero 
may lose lustre by too frequent mention. Many slang 
phrases start full of expressive meaning. They have a 
catchiness, a raciness about them which is attractive. 

Slang phrases, however, are like catchy popular songs. 
One tires of hearing the same strains. So does one grow 
weary of hearing the same expression applied to a thou- 
sand and one different situations, acts, emergencies. The 
strength of the metaphor, from being fitted to so many 
forms, is exhausted. The original significance is stretched 
beyond all limits. 

People are judged as much by the words they use as 
by the company they keep or the clothes they wear. The 
cheap, tinsel glint of popular slang attracts and pleases 
the unrefined and uneducated. They greedily accept worn 
out, soiled phrases as a medium of expression because 
their vocabularies are limited. Instead of using these cur- 
rent metaphors for the purpose of expressing nice shades 
of thought they force them to do duty in a dozen different 
ways. The user of slang will say, "That's a peach/' of 
a fine horse, a pretty girl, a handsome yacht, a large build- 
ing, a skilful play, a hard blow or any one of a hun- 
dred things. 

It is because of such indiscriminate use that really fine 



72 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

metaphors, once forceful, expressive, and sometimes beau- 
tiful, degenerate into slang. It is not good taste to use 
commonplaces of any sort, therefore it is not good taste 
to use slang. 

There are other valid objections to slang. It weakens 
the strength of declarations or statements and demands 
by impairing clearness and exactness of expression. 
These are some of the reasons why people desirous of 
careful speech should avoid slang. 

Avoid bombastic, affected, or "fine writing/' It is 
ridiculous and makes its author more so. The "Johnson- 
ese" style of writing, abounding in sonorous words of 
Latin derivation, does not appeal to cultivated taste. The 
literature of the present century shows a decided prefer- 
ence for short Anglo-Saxon words. "Valuable as the 
Latin adjuncts to our language are," says Richard Grant 
White, "in the appreciation of their value it should never 
be forgotten that they are adjuncts. The frame, the sin- 
ews, the nerves, the heart's blood, in brief, the body arid 
soul of our language is English ; Latin and Greek furnish 
only its limbs and outward flourishes." 

Other words to be avoided are those of recent date 
which have not yet been sanctioned by good usage. 
Among them are such as the following: "Combine" in- 
stead of "combination," "actions" instead of "acts," "tp- 
tals" instead of "amounts to," "relations" instead of 
"relatives," "clerking" instead of "working as a clerk," 
"to finance" instead of "to furnish the capital," "to en- 
thuse" instead of "to be enthusiastic." Some of these are 
merely vulgarisms, of which many are in common use. 
Only by acquiring good taste in the choice of words may 
one learn to detect vulgarisms, and only by being careful 
in speaking or writing may one avoid them. 



WORDS AND THEIR USE 73 

WORDS AND PHRASES OFTEN MISUSED 

The following list is composed of words and phrases 
commonly misused. The list is far from complete, but it 
will serve to show the value of a knowledge of words and 
of tKeir logical arrangement in sentences : 

"Above." — This word is often made to refer to "fore- 
going" statements. 

"Accept of." — "Please accept this gift," not "Please ac- 
cept of this gift." 

"Address," "direct." — A letter is addressed at the be- 
ginning to the one who is to read it, but directed outside 
to the one who is to receive it. Packages are always 
directed, not addressed. 

"Aggravate." — This means "to add to or to make heav- 
ier" ; it is not to be used for "irritate," which means "to 
anger or provoke." 

"Agreeable," "agreeably." — Say "agreeably to my 
terms," not "agreeable." 

"Ain't," "haint," "taint."— "Ain't" should never be 
used for "is not" ; "haint" for "has not" ; nor "taint" for 
"it is not." These are vulgarisms. 

"Alike."— Say, "They are alike," not "They are both 
alike." 

"Allow."— Do not say "He allows he will go," but 
"He thinks he will go," or "He says he will go." 

"Allude." — To allude to a matter is to refer to it indi- 
rectlv. This word is often misused for "speak" or "men- 
tion." 

"Among," "between." — "Between" applies to two ; 
"among," to a greater number; as "He divided the apple 
between two boys, and the money among three or more 
boys." 



74 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

"Anticipate." — This word is often misused for the 
simple term "expect" in such sentences as "Do you anti- 
cipate a large crowd to-night?" Anticipation means to 
""forestall; to take beforehand"; as, "He will anticipate 
and prevent such action." 

"Appreciate" is misused for "rise" or "increase" in 
value. "Appreciate" means "to estimate justly." 

"At," "by."— Say the goods were sold "by" not "at" 
auction. Sales at auction would indicate where goods are 
sold; by auction, how they are sold, the manner of selling. 

"Authoress," "doctress," "editress," "poetess," and the 
like should not be used in speaking of women in these vo- 
cations. A poet is one who writes poetry; an editor, one 
who edits — not a man necessarily, but a person who edits. 

"Avocation," "vocation," — A man's vocation is his 
business or calling; his avocation, the things which take 
him away from his regular work. A lawyer's vocation is 
the practice of law. If he goes fishing, that is, for the 
time, his avocation. 

"Balance" is incorrectly used for "remainder" or "rest" 
in such expressions as "The balance of the day." 

"Beat" is commonly misused for "defeat"; as, "He 
beat the other fellow on election day." "Beat" is also 
misused for "excelled" or "surpassed" in such expressions 
as "She beat all her class mates." 

"Below" and "under" refer to place. They should not 
be used in the sense of "less" or "fewer," referring to 
an amount or number. Say "less than fifty," or "fewer 
than fifty." 

"Beside," "besides." — "Beside" is a preposition, mean- 
ing place ; as "He stood beside me." "Besides" is an v 
adverb, meaning in addition to ; as, "There were two be- 
sides me." 



WORDS AND THEIR USE 75 

"Both," "each," "every."— "Both" means two and not 
merely one of them ; as, "Both were rich men." "Each" 
means all of any number considered one by one; as, 
"Each boy was a good ball player." "Every" means all 
of any number considered as composing a group or class ; 
as, "Every pupil should have a dictionary and use it." 
Never combine these words, as in "May the Lord bless 
each and every one of you" ! 

"But that." — In the sentence, "There can be no doubt 
but that he will succeed," "but" should be omitted. The 
same is true of "but what." 

"Calculate" for "intend" or "expect."— "Calculate" 
means to compute or reckon, and is incorrectly used in 
such sentences as "They calculated to go to New York." 

"Character" should be distinguished from "reputation." 
Character is what a person is, and reputation is what he 
is supposed to be. 

"Compare with," "compare to," "contrast." — Two 
things are compared in order to show points of resem- 
blance and difference between them; they are contrasted 
in order to show the points of difference only. One thing 
is compared "to" another to show that the first is like the 
second; one thing is compared "with" another to show 
their difference or similarity, especially their difference. 

"Consequence," "importance." — "Consequence" means 
a result. Say "It is of no importance," instead of "It is of 
no consequence." 

"Consider." — This means to think seriously, and is in- 
correctly used for "think" or "regard" in such sentences 
as "I consider him an honest man." 

"Couple" for "two."— Say "two books," not couple, 
but two things that are coupled or bound together are 
a "couple" ; as, "A couple of cars." 



76 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

"Custom" and "habit." — "Custom" refers to the usages 
of society, or things done by a great number of persons ; 
"habit" relates to things done by individuals. 

"Decided," "decisive." — A "decided" opinion is a 
strong one, though it may decide nothing; a "decisive" 
opinion settles the Question at issue. A lawyer may have 
"decided" views on a case; the judgment of a court is 
"decisive." 

"Depot" for "station." — "Depot" means a place for 
storing materials; "station" means a stopping place. 
Never use "depot" for train terminals. 

"Depreciate." — This should not be used for "lessen" 
or "decrease." 

"Divine." — A clergyman is wrongly called a "divine." 

"Divine service." — Say religious service. 

"Dock" for "wharf." — "Dock" means water way; 
"wharf" means landing place. 

"Don't," "doesn't."— "Don't" is a contraction of do 
not; "doesn't" of does not. Think or speak of the two 
words in full (do not or does not), to see if the verb 
agrees with the subject, and it is easy to decide which 
should be used. It is better to use the full words, as 
"do not," "does not." 

"Either," "neither," and "both."— Each of these words 
applies to but two objects, although commonly misused 
by being applied to a greater number. "Either" means 
"one or the other"; "both" means "one and the other"; 
"neither" means "not one nor the other." 

"Empties." — Rivers do not empty into lakes or oceans ; 
they flow. 

"Enthused." — Do not say "enthused" over a matter, 
when you really mean aroused, stirred, excited, or in- 
spired. 



WORDS AND THEIR USE 77 

"Equally as well as." — "Equally" is superfluous in 
such expressions as "This is equally as good as that." 

"Eve" for "evening." — Eve means the night before. 

"Every." — In such sentences as "We have every con- 
fidence in him," use "entire" or "perfect." 

"Every thing," "everything." — "Every thing" means 
"each thing" ; "everything" means "all taken together" ; 
as, "He paid the highest price for every thing he bought." 
"They sold everything." 

"Extend." — Say "He showed me great courtesy," not 
"He extended great courtesy to me." Extend means to 
"reach out." 

"Farther;" "further." — "Farther" has reference to dis- 
tance or extent; as, "He could go no farther." "Fur- 
ther" means more ; as, "I have nothing further to say." 

"Fix" for "repair," "arrange," and "draw," is improp- 
erly used in such expressions as, "The lawyer will fix up 
the papers." "They fixed the machinery." "Fix" means 
"to establish"; to make permanent. 

"From" is superfluous before "hence," "thence," 
"whence," as "From whence does it come?" 

"From" for "of"; as, "Mr. Jones from New York." 
Write "of." 

"Funeral obsequies" is as incorrect as "wedding mar- 
riage ceremony." Use one of the words only, "funeral" 
or "obsequies." 

"Gent" is a vulgar contraction of the word "gentle- 
man," and should never be used. 

"Good" is often misused for "well," in such sentences 
as "He writes good." Say "He writes well." "Good" 
is an adjective; "well" an adverb. 

"Got" is superfluous after "have," "has," and "had." 
Say simply "I have a dollar." 



78 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

"Grow" means to increase or pass from one state or 
condition to another, as "to grow light," "grow dark," 
"grow weary." What is large cannot properly be said 
to "grow" smaller; use instead "become." 

"Guess." — Usually when people say they "guess" this, 
that, or the other thing, they should say "suppose or be- 
lieve." 

"Had have." — "Have" should never be used after 
"had," though "had" may follow "have." In "Had you 
have kept your promise," "have" should be omitted. 

"Had ought." — "Had" is superfluous in the sentence, 
"He had ought to go." "Ought" is a defective verb, 
having no past participle and cannot be used with an 
auxiliary verb. 

"Hardly," "scarcely." — "Hardly" has reference to de- 
gree; "scarcely" to quantity. Say "They have scarcely 
enough for their own use"; "He is hardly able to walk 
yet." "Don't" and "can't" should not be used with 
"hardly." 

"Healthy," "healthful," "wholesome."— We may speak 
of a "healthy" or "unhealthy" person, and of a "health- 
ful" climate. "Wholesome" is applicable to food, air r 
and the like. 

"Immense" is improperly used in such expressions as 
"Immense reductions," "immense discounts," and others. 
"Immense" really means unlimited. You would better 
say "noticeable reductions." 

"In our midst" is an absurd expression, for the rea- 
son that "midst" means nearly the same as "middle" -; say 
"with us" or "among us." 

"In so far as." — In expressions such as "In so far as 
our knowledge goes," "in" should be omitted. 

"Inaugurate" is often improperly used for "adopt," 
"begin," "open," "install" or "establish." We 'adopt 



WORDS AND THEIR USE 79 

measures; we "begin," "open" or "establish" a business; 
"install" pastors ; "inaugurate" presidents, governors, 
mayors. 

"Initiate" is often spoken or written when "begin" is 
the word that should be used. We begin work to-mor- 
row. 

"Lady" for "wife."— Say "Mr. Jones and wife," in- 
stead of "Mr. Jones and lady." 

"Learn," "teach." — "Learn" means to acquire knowl- 
edge; "teach" means to impart knowledge. It is incor- 
rect to say "He learned me to write," or "I will learn 
you better." He "taught" me to write, is the correct form 
to use. 

"Less," "fewer," "smaller."— "Less" refers to quan- 
tity; "fewer" to number; as "I have less money than he 
has, but he has fewer friends than I have." "Smaller" 
refers to size. 

"Lurid" for "bright," or "red."— The much abused 
word "lurid" means a "pale yellow" color. 

"Majority." — The word is applicable only to persons. 

"Many," "much."— "Many" refers to number; "much" 
to quantity. 

"Mighty" is a much misused word in such sentences as 
"I am mighty glad to see you." You should say "I am 
very glad to see you." This is a most common word in 
the Southern States, and is often misused. 

"Mind" should not be used for "remember" ; as "Do 
you mind the time ?" 

"Most" for "almost." — In such sentences as "I saw him 
most every day," "most" is incorrectly used for "almost." 

"New beginner" should be "beginner" only. — When 
one begins anything, he is new at it. 



80 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

"New," "novel." — That is new which is not old; that 
is novel which is both new and strange. 

"Notice." — Say "I shall mention, not 'notice/ a few 
facts." 

"Numerous" for "many." — Speak of your "many" not 
"numerous" friends. 

"Observe" is often incorrectly used for "say." 

"Occur" for "take place." — Things occur when they 
take place unexpectedly. 

"Of" is sometimes incorrectly used for "have" after 
might, could, would, should, or ought to ; as "You might 
of gone with us." 

"Of" is superfluous and incorrect after "admit," "ac- 
cept," "recollect," and "remember," as "The case was too 
plain to admit of doubt." 

"On every hand." — Instead of this, say "on each hand," 
"on either hand," "both hands," or "on every side." 

"Ought," "aught."— Say "For aught 'not ought' I 
know." "Aught" means "anything"; "ought" implies 
obligation. Say, "I ought to go." 

"Over." — Say "He went across 'not over' the bridge." 
A bird may fly "over" a bridge. 

"Over" and "above," like "below" and "under," have 
reference to place. They are often incorrectly used for 
"more than." Do not say, "He lives above or over a 
mile away." 

"Party" for "person," "man" or "woman."— "Party" 
means a number of persons, or one person who takes 
part with others in anything. We may speak of a man's 
being "party to a crime," or of his being "one of the 
parties to a contract," but you may not say "the party 
who called on me." 



WORDS AND THEIR USE 81 

"People" for "persons." — "People" means a body of 
persons taken collectively, a nation. Say, "A great many 
persons 'not people' were there." 

"Pocket handkerchief." — The word "pocket" is super- 
fluous, just as "hand*' is in "neck-handkerchief." The 
latter should be "neckerchief." 

"Portion" for "part." — Do not say "a portion of the 
time," or a "portion of the city"; "part" is the word to 
use. A "portion" is a part set aside for a special pur- 
pose, or to be considered by itself. 

"Promise" for "assure." — Say "I assure (not prom- 
ise) you that he will do the right thing." 

"Raise," "lower." — These words are incorrectly used 
in such sentences as "He has raised the rent/ "They 
lowered his wages." 

"Recollect," "remember." — These words are not 
synonymous. We may be able to recollect (r^-collect) 
what we do not at the moment remember. "I cannot re- 
member" and "I recollect when it happened" are incor- 
rect. 

"Reputable" for "respectable." — One's reputation may 
be either good or bad, hence, to say of a man that he is a 
reputable person is very indefinite. 

"Retire" has a clear meaning and well-defined uses, not 
one of which is in the sense of "going to bed." If you 
are going to bed, say so; do not say "retire." 

"Saw" and "seen" are often interchanged, and wrong- 
fully. Do not say "I haven't saw him today." "I have 
not seen him to-day" is the correct form. 

"Since" for "ago." — Say "He visited us about two 
weeks ago," not "two weeks since." 

"Sit" and "set." — "Sit" means to rest, to be in a po- 



82 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

sition of rest, or to be in session, as of a court; "set" 
means action, to put a thing in place, to appoint, as, to 
set a day for doing something. We set apart, set aside, 
set about, and set down articles or in writing. We sit 
on a chair, on a horse ; we sit up and sit down. We set a 
hen, and a hen sits on eggs. We should say, therefore, 
"as cross as a sitting hen." 

"Sooner" for "rather." — Say "I would rather go than 
not." 

"Spending." — Avoid the word "spending" in connec- 
tion with other matters than money. 

Do not say "spill" when you mean "pour." Thus, "I 
poured water," not "spilled" water into the test-tube. 

"Splendid." — This word means possessing or display- 
ing splendor ; shining ; being brilliant ; hence, it is proper 
to speak of "a splendid sunset," "a splendid diamond," 
but incorrect to speak of "a splendid cup of coffee," "a 
splendid apple," or to say that anything is done "splen- 
didly." To say "perfectly splendid" is far worse. 

"Stop" and "stay."— "Stop" means "to halt; quit 
going"; "stay," "to remain at a place for a length of 
time." A train may "stop" at each station, but the length 
of time it "stays" will probably vary. Do not speak of 
"stopping" at a hotel for several days or weeks. "Stop" 
is instantaneous ; "stay" may continue indefinitely. 

"Sustained" for "received," referring to injuries is a 
very common error in both speech and writing. 

"Teams." — Do not call a carriage and horses a "team." 
A team is "two horses harnessed together," whether they 
are hitched to a carriage or to a tree. 

"Terrible." — This word should never be used in such 
expressions as "I am in a terrible hurry." 



WORDS AND THEIR USE 83 

"Together" is superfluous after "talk," "converse," 
"correspond," "connect," "unite," and similar words ; as, 
"We talked together over the matter." This word is 
rarely correctly used. 

"Transpire" for "happen" or "take place." — If the 
phrase "leak out," that is, "become known" can be put 
in place of the word "transpire" in a sentence, its use is 
correct. If the phrase "take place" can be substituted 
without changing the meaning of the sentence, its use 
is wrong. 

"Veracity" and "truth."— "Veracity" is applicable to 
persons only; "truth" to things. We may doubt the 
truth of a story because we doubt the veracity or truth- 
fulness of the narrator. 

"Without" for "unless." — Say, "They would not come 
unless we made them a definite offer." "Except" is also 
sometimes similarly misused for "unless." 

SENTENCES 

When we begin to study language we learn that the 
names of persons and things are known as "nouns." In 
the growth of language from words into sentences it was 
found to be awkward to use a noun in every reference to 
a person or thing and there developed a group of words 
used for or instead of nouns. Such words are called 
"pronouns." The noun for which a pronoun stands is 
termed the pronoun's "antecedent." 

We say boys "run," trees "grow," fires "burn," houses 
"stand," and people "own." Words expressing action, 
condition are known as "verbs." Verbs are also termed 
"predicate words" to predicate meaning, to assert or 
affirm. 



84 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

Words which modify or qualify nouns are termed 
adjectives, thus, "green" trees, "white" horse, "big" boy, 
"rainy" day, "bright" fire and the like. 

Actions and conditions of persons and things are lim- 
ited as to time, place, manner, and degree. For example, 
the boy is "here," the girl starts "now," the work has 
been done "thoroughly." Words which indicate modi- 
fications of actions and conditions of persons and things 
are called "adverbs." Adjectives and adverbs are grouped 
under the general term of "modifiers." 

Words used to indicate certain connections between or 
among other words in sentences are known as "preposi- 
tions" and "conjunctions" Prepositions and conjunc- 
tions are classified as "connectives" 

Words "thrown into" sentences to express emotion, 
such as "O," "ah," and "alas," are known as "interjec- 
tions." Interjections have no direct relation to other 
words in sentences and therefore require no particular 
consideration. It will be seen that words as used in sen- 
tences are divided into eight classes, which are known as 
"parts of speech." A word standing alone is not a part 
of speech. 

A "phrase" is a group of words which does not make a 
statement but performs the office of a part of Speech. 

A "clause" is a group of words which does make a 
statement and which performs the office of a part of 
speech. 

A "sentence" consists of two or more words put to- 
gether to express a complete thought. Every sentence 
must contain two principal parts, namely, the "subject?' 
and the "predicate" Whatever is directly spoken of in 
the sentence is the "subject." That which is said of the 
subject is the "predicate." Many sentences may be 



WORDS AND THEIR USE 85 

formed by using a noun or pronoun for the subject, but 
the predicate must include a verb. Some verbs indi- 
cate that the act named is received by some person or 
thing. Such verbs are called "transitive" verbs. The 
person or thing which receives the action is called the 
"object" of the verb. Other verbs indicate that the re- 
sult of action is in the subject and therefore do not 
require an object to complete their meaning. Such verbs 
are called "intransitive" verbs. Examples : 

"The man returned the umbrella." — Transitive. 

"The man returned" — Intransitive. 

"He struck James" — Transitive and active. "James 
was struck by him." — Transitive and passive. 

In the following pages we will note those inflections 
and changes which most perplex the unpracticed. 

Nouns have inflections to indicate number and gen- 
der, and changes to indicate possession. The following 
sentences illustrate the whole topic of possessive nouns 
according to the best modern usage : 

The boy's hat was new. 

The boys' hats were not old. 

The men's hats were expensive. 

Peter, Mary and Clara's mother gave them a present. 

(a.) The deer is dead, (b.) The sheep have been 
sheared. 

The men's and boys' hats were new. 

The ashes are red. 

Verbs are modified to indicate person and number in 
agreement with their respective subjects. Verbs are also 
modified to indicate voice, mode, and tense. 

The words "may," "can," "will," and "shall" and 
others which are used with verbs to help meet all of the 



86 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

demands made upon them are called "helping" or "aux- 
iliary" verbs. 

Which auxiliary verb shall be used is determined by 
the meaning of the word and the exact idea to be con- 
veyed. It is not a question of rule so much as it is of 
content or meaning. The use of the wrong auxiliary is, 
however, one of the sources of errors in language and 
so should receive serious consideration. 

"Shall" and "Will" — Perhaps the most perplexing of 
auxiliary verbs are "shall" and "will." To express de- 
termination and promise, use "will" in the first person and 
"shall" in the second and third persons. To denote sim- 
ple futurity, use "shall" in the first person and "will" in 
the second and third persons. The same distinction holds 
for "should" and "would." 

"Can" and "May" — The auxiliary verbs "can" and 
"may" and "could" and "might" are often misused. To 
denote ability and possibility, use "can" and "could." To 
denote permission and probability use "may" and 
"might." For example, "I can go" means that I have the 
power to go. "You may go" means that you have per- 
mission to go. 

There is a class of words derived from verbs and 
therefore called verbals which perform double functions. 
They always have a suggestion of action in them and 
they also have the noun idea or the adjective idea. The 
verbals that contain the noun idea and the verb idea are 
called "infinitives" and those that contain the verb idea 
and the adjective idea are called "participles" 

"I came to study my lesson." — Infinitive. 

"The man sitting near me is blind." — Participle. 

"The running brook was clear." — Adjective. 

"Running is a word of seven letters." — Noun. 



WORDS AND THEIR USE 87 

Do not insert any word between the infinitive and its 
sign the preposition "to." "I advise you to seriously 
consider the proposition" is incorrect. "I advise you to 
consider seriously the proposition" is correct. 

Particular attention should be paid to the sequence of 
tenses in complex sentences. The leading verb should 
set the tense for all dependent verbs in the same sen- 
tence. "I should like it if you would close this account," 
not, "I should like it if you will close this account." 

Prepositions are important words and should be care- 
fully studied. In addition to indicating relation they also 
give definite meaning to sentences. 

Possibly the most frequent error in the use of preposi- 
tions is the use of "in" for "into." These words have 
different meanings which should be well known in order 
to insure their correct use in sentences. "In" as a prepo- 
sition means inside of, within. "Into" means the act of 
going within, of entering. The sentence "He went into 
the ship," has therefore a different meaning than the 
sentence "He went in the ship." 

Correlative conjunctions are frequently used ungram- 
matically. They are conjunctions that stand in such 
relation to each other that the use of one makes neces- 
sary the use of the other. Following is a list of the more 
common correlative conjunctions: 

"Both" — "and." — "Both you and your friend are in- 
vited." 

"Either"— "or."— "Either you or he will go." 

"Neither" — "nor." — "Neither he nor his wife went." 

"If"— "then."— "If you are afraid then do not go." 

"As" — "as." — "He was as competent as his predeces- 
sor. 



BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 



"So" — "that." — "He was so angry that he could not 
speak." 

Prepositions and conjunctions are misused in several 
ways. Most frequently they are found where they do 
not belong; as, "Much benefit may be reaped by reading 
of history," "I was just going for to do it." "He will not 
accept of an explanation," "The big firms get all of 
them." 

The word "but" is often incorrectly used for "than"; 
as in, "I cannot accept it in any other way but as a loan." 

"To" and "with" when used with the word "compare" 
are not interchangeable. Each has a distinct shade of 
meaning which should be recognized. We compare one 
thing "to" another which we think it resembles; as, 
"Travelers have compared the Hudson River to the 
Rhine." We compare one thing "with" another to note 
points of agreement or difference; as, "You can hardly 
compare the Berkshires with the Alps." 



SPEECH MAKING 89 



SPEECHMAKING 

While the days of oratory, perhaps, are past, the cus- 
tom of speechmaking still lives. Commercial life has its 
social side, one that is by no means unimportant. Few 
business men nowadays escape the demand for "a few re- 
marks. " Sooner or later, the chairman, the presiding 
officer, or the toastmaster will single you out. Then you 
must get on your feet and do your best or your worst. If 
you have had no experience in public speaking, no manual 
of oratory can put you on a royal road to success in 
the art. The "Ready Speechmaker" will not save you. 
The reading of this lesson will point out no short cut to 
eloquence. All that is here intended is the giving of 
some practical advice concerning working methods. 

Just at this point it may be pertinent to remark that 
a request for a speech is a compliment and should be 
accepted as such. It implies a belief that you have some- 
thing to say which is worth hearing. Much false modesty 
is brought to the surface by requests for public addresses. 
In many cases it is not modesty at all, but vanity, which 
is exhibited. Quite often the motive which leads a man 
to decline such an invitation is based on the fear that his 
attempt may result in forming in the minds of his hear- 
ers a less exalted opinion of his own abilities than he 
himself holds. It is much better to say frankly, "Why, 
yes, I'll try to say something." If you have not the ex- 



90 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

perience, you need it, and an honest failure will do you no 
harm. 

Having accepted, the next thing is to make your prepa- 
ration. This is a part of speechmaking which is often 
slighted with embarrassing results. The average novice 
does not seem to* realize that hours of hard thinking 
should be given to the preparation of even a short public 
address. This, however, is the price of success. It is 
no exorbitant demand. A speaker who holds for a 
quarter of an hour the attention of forty persons, really 
consumes an aggregate of ten hours' time. In exchange 
for this he should hesitate to offer the unripe fruits of a 
half hour's aimless meditation. 

The fundamental principles of speechmaking are these : 
Have something to say; know how you are going to say 
it; and when you have said it, sit down. In determining 
what you are to say it is best to choose some one idea. 
One is enough. If you present it clearly, with logic, and 
in an entertaining manner, you will have made a model 
speech. If you attempt more than this you are quite 
liable to ramble into a purposeless, confused, ineffective 
talk. Even if you should succeed in presenting two or 
three lines of thought it is more than likely that but one, 
and that the strongest, will remain in the minds of your 
hearers. 

Begin by thinking your subject over carefully. Get as 
many ideas concerning it as you can. Critically sift these 
and pick out the one which in your judgment will be the 
strongest, the most appropriate and the freshest. To this 
choice you should bring not only all your knowledge, but 
all your tact. Take into account the kind of people 
you are to address, their tastes, their interests, their prob- 
able mood. Consider the nature of the occasion. Put to 



SPEECH MAKING 91 



yourself questions such as these : What class of persons 
will make up my audience ? In what are they most inter- 
ested? What kind of a speech will they expect from 
me? 

If your subject has been assigned or chosen not un- 
wisely you may be reasonably certain of being able to 
find some one idea relating to it that can be made inter- 
esting. Having singled this out it is in order for you to 
decide the manner of delivery. There are several ways 
of delivering a speech, each of which you may have ob- 
served. You may write out your remarks in full and read 
them from the manuscript ; you may write them out and 
commit them to memory; you may write out only the 
introductions to your leading points, improvising the rest ; 
or you may have only a mental skeleton of your address, 
improvising it all. Each of these methods has its advan- 
tages and its disadvantages. Perhaps the first is most 
likely to result in your effort falling flat. Unless what 
you have to say is of intrinsically great moment to your 
hearers, they are quite apt to look bored and to become 
uneasy at the sight of your manuscript. The written 
pages themselves confess a lack of self-confidence. They 
erect a barrier between speaker and hearer which sympa- 
thy seldom passes. 

In theory a speech, a response to a toast, a public ad- 
dress of any sort, is no more than a talk by one man to 
many. It should resemble as nearly as possible the talk- 
ing of one individual to another. If Jones wished to tell 
Brown what he thought on the subject of hot air furnaces 
as compared with steam heat, it would certainly be ab- 
surd of Jones to write down his remarks and read them 
to Brown on the first opportunity. Is it not quite as 
absurd when Jones, arising from a banquet table to tell 



92 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

a number of fellow merchants that they ought to organize 
a board of trade, proceeds to read, in a stumbling man- 
ner and in dull, spiritless monotone, a half dozen pages 
of manuscript? The spectacle would become truly en- 
tertaining should Jones nervously drop some of his prec- 
ious pages and scramble under the table to rescue them t 

That orators are made, not born, has been proved so 
many times it seems unnecessary to try the case again. 
Yet you may commonly hear men spoken of as having "a 
silver tongue/' or possessing "the gift of oratory." From 
Demosthenes, filling his mouth with pebbles and rehears- 
ing his splendid periods by the sounding sea, down to the 
alderman from the Fourth Ward spouting his coming 
speech to the four walls of his office, ease in public 
speaking has been largely a matter of acquirement. The 
disadvantage of a memorized address is that it is apt to 
sound stiff and stilted. It smacks of the ink bottle. 
Few men can write a thing as they would speak it. In 
their written efforts the colloquial quality is lacking. 
Unless you can concentrate your mind so as to make un- 
necessary all writing, the third method is probably the 
best. The safest way is to jot down your opening sen- 
tences and then revise them until you are satisfied they 
are the best you can make. 

The practiced public speaker gets on his feet delib- 
erately. He does not pop up like a Jack-in-the-box when 
the catch is loosened. He bows gracefully to the chair- 
man or toastmaster and then comprehensively to his au- 
dience. His knees may be trembling, but he does not 
betray the fact. He looks as if he were glad to be there. 
These little touches inspire confidence. Generally he 
singles out a hearer who is farthest from him. To that 
person he talks. He knows that if he makes this auditor 



SPEECH MAKING 93 



hear his words everyone else must be able to hear them. 
Occasionally he sweeps the rest of his audience with a 
glance, but mainly he talks to one person. The speaker 
forgets that he is addressing a number of persons and 
talks to one individual. Moreover, no one can detect 
this little trick of speechmaking, not even the person 
singled out. 

Be as deliberate in your speech as in your rising. 
Force yourself to enunciate slowly and distinctly, espe- 
cially in your opening sentences. Of course, you will 
have an impulse to speak your words as fast as possible 
in order to get through with the whole troublesome busi- 
ness, but this must be resisted. Do not make the mistake, 
however, of sprinkling your sentences with dashes and 
"er's." This is a most tiresome habit. 

A good speech needs an introducing paragraph which 
awakens the hearers' interest at once, and, if possible, 
puts them in harmony with the speaker. This opening 
should be novel, striking, strong. 

To begin by declaring that you are no orator is a 
poor introduction. Your word will not only be taken 
without question, but you will be set down as a novice, 
and a stupid one, at that. True, this weak attempt to 
forestall criticism by disclaiming any skill in what you 
are about to attempt is quite natural. It is due to the same 
impulse which prompts the occasional billiard player to 
protest: "Now I haven't handled a cue for a month, 
you know. I expect I've forgotten how." There is no 
need for announcing that you are no orator. If you 
were you would not be expected to say so. If you are 
not, your hearers will soon know it. There is small fear 
of being wrongly accused in such cases. People do not 
generally make reckless charges of eloquence against 



94 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

untried speakers. Besides, this is such a time-worn be- 
ginning. Use almost any other form of introduction. 
Strive for something original. Perhaps a neat paragraph 
or turn of thought can be hinged on something said by 
the toastmaster in presenting you. Some very happy hits 
have been made in this way, and if you can manage to 
bring one about you will at once gain the sympathy of 
your audience. 

Several years ago Mark Twain and James Whitcomb 
Riley made a lecture tour together. To help out the 
evening's entertainment they had with them a compara- 
tively unknown elocutionist w r ho was billed as a "story 
teller." It was the usual thing for some citizen of the 
city in which the three appeared to be on hand for the 
purpose of introducing them to the audience. One 
evening they found that this detail of preparation had 
been omitted. It was not discovered until they found 
themselves on the stage before a large audience. Mark 
Twain whispered to Riley, "Get up and introduce us, 
Jim." The Hoosier poet, quaking with embarrassment, 
shook his head decidedly. Then Twain, who was enjoy- 
ing the situation greatly, turned to the elocutionist, ex- 
pecting him also to refuse. But the story-teller was 
equal to the emergency. He got up and walked to the 
footlights : 

"Ladies and gentlemen," he began, "if you will look 
at your programs you will notice that you are to hear 
tonight, besides Mr. Clemens and Mr. Riley, a third 
person whose name is printed, and quite appropriately, 
in smaller type. Of course, you are here to see and 
listen to Mr. Clemens and Mr. Riley. They are both 
present. That gentleman with a whole lot of hair very 
badly combed is Mr. Clemens. This gentleman with very 



SPEECH MAKING 95 



little hair very carefully arranged is Mr. Riley. I am 
the other fellow — the small-type man — and with your 
permission, I will tell you one of my stories. " 

But before he could continue he was forced to bow 
again and again in acknowledgment of the applause 
aroused by this exhibition of cleverness and modesty. 
Never before had he told stories to such an appreciative 
audience, and his recalls were as numerous as those of 
his famous fellow entertainers. An opening so happy as 
this you may not be able to hit upon, but you can at least 
recognize the importance of creating a good first impres- 
sion and thereby dispose your audience to consider your 
efforts favorably. 

Having briefly and skillfully prepared the way, get at 
your subject at once. To present an idea logically re- 
quires the best possible arrangement of thought. Do not 
state your conclusion first, following it with an argument 
and ending with an illustration. There should be a nat- 
ural sequence to the order in which your points are de- 
veloped. The making of a skeleton plan, such as is 
taught in composition work at school, will be found an 
invaluable aid in speech building. You need write only 
the several headings. With these before you, a mental 
sketch may be made of what you are to say under each. 
See that the connecting links are well forged else your 
speech will sound jerky. Such a working plan should be 
blocked out as early as possible. It lays the foundation 
for systematic thought by furnishing a number of start- 
ing-points from which to work. 

Now, about anecdotes. Nothing adds so much to a 
short address as a good, fresh story well told. If you 
can, get one into your effort. The funny story, like 
other good things, should be used judiciously. You will 



96 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

do well in this connection to consider the following 
"Don'ts": 

Don't drag in your story by the scruff of the neck. Its 
application should be clear, otherwise the bid for a laugh 
by means of a far-fetched "and that-reminds-me," will 
be obvious. 

Don't handicap your anecdote by beginning it with, 
"You know the old story about the," etc. If your yarn 
is old treat it with the respect due to age. Even if your 
story is no longer new, you should assume that your 
application of it is original. And let us hope that it 
may be. 

Don't slight the telling of your story by stating the 
point baldly and without any attempt at effective narra- 
tion. This is a waste of good material. Give it all its 
native frills, and tell it with all the dramatic art you 
possess. 

Don't, if your last story is well received follow it up 
with another, and perhaps a poorer one. Be satisfied with 
the applause you have received; you might not get any 
more. Too many stories ruin an address. 

Don't imagine you can make a reputation as a wit 
by stringing together a number of humorous stories. 
Many persons have tried this seemingly easy method 
and have succeeded only in becoming known as would-be 
humorists. They are not popular. 

Don't get your anecdotes from the columns of the 
daily press. Other people read the newspaper. The 
exchange editor is an appreciative individual with ever- 
ready shears, and, thanks to his alertness, a good story 
travels widely, once it gets into print. If you can, draw 
from your own experience; if not, borrow from good 



SPEECH MAKING 97 



literature thus giving your sense of humor the indorse- 
ment of a highly reputable source. 

Don't be disturbed if some one says to you afterward, 
"Good story, that — always was." 

Lastly, about bringing your speech to a close. When 
you have stated and illustrated each point with as much 
clearness and conciseness as you have been able to com- 
mand, you should have, ready framed, a few clear-cut 
sentences in which the essence of your idea is stated. Put 
these before your auditors and then just as they are set- 
tling back to hear you add the usual unnecessary elabo- 
ration and repetition, agreeably surprise them by mak- 
ing an end and sitting down. 



98 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 



HOW TO IMPROVE THE MEMORY 

If a good memory is essential to the life of an animal, 
how much the more necessary is it to the life and develop- 
ment of a human being. A mouse is caught in a trap. 
Other mice see, remember, and avoid the trap. A bird 
finds seeds plentiful in one locality; it remembers, seeks 
that spot again, and satisfies its hunger. Life experience 
and study of other people's experiences would be of no 
value if we did not retain certain images and ideas and 
were able to recall them at will. 

Important as is the role played by memory in the life 
and development of human beings, many do not seem to 
realize the relation of a good memory to success, or if they 
do, seem unaware that it can be improved and disciplined. 
It is to stimulate the desire and ambition of business men 
to cultivate what natural gifts of memory they may pos- 
sess, that this short chapter is written. 

In order to understand the principles and methods ac- 
cording to which memory may be improved, it is neces- 
sary to know the primary laws of memory and how they 
operate. We hear the name "John Brown" mentioned. 
If we have never heard the name before no association is 
aroused. A new impression is made upon the brain tis- 
sue. A new brain-path formed. But if we have heard 
the name before, it may at once suggest some person 
whom we have met of that name, or we may think of 



HOW TO IMPROVE THE MEMORY 99 

John Brown, of Ossawatomie or of John Brown, authoi 
of "Rab." That involuntary association is memory. If, 
however, someone asks, who was the author of "Rab and 
His Friends" and we try deliberately to remember, to call 
up the name from the recesses of our mind, that is Re- 
collection or Recall. It is essential to memory that an idea 
arise in the mind together with the consciousness that we 
have experienced it before, and that it is associated with 
some other idea in our own past. It is the fact of the 
association of the idea to be remembered, with another 
idea, that enables us to improve our powers of recol- 
lection, (i) by improving our habitual methods of record- 
ing impressions, and (2) by increasing the number of 
associations linked with any given idea or image. 

In order to make our brief study of utmost value to 
the business man, let us think first of the particular oc- 
casions when success or failure may result from a lapse 
of memory. The business man must be able to confide 
to his memory, ready for instant recall, the names of per- 
sons he has met, must link faces with their correct names, 
must remember the day, hour and place of an engage- 
ment, the person he is to meet. He must have at im- 
mediate command the arguments he wishes to present in 
making a sale, and the points he intends to present in 
making that convincing address to the Business Man's 
League. He must learn to read quickly and remember 
the gist of the important books he reads, for books mul- 
tiply so rapidly that few have time to re-read any except 
those of greatest value. He must be able to recall scenes, 
events and conversations, in case of differences of opinion 
as to what may have occurred at conferences, or accidents 
that may have happened. He must remember to purchase 



100 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

that article his wife requested, and to send the flowers 
to the funeral of his daughter's chum. Truly, happiness, 
and success depend to a great degree upon an accurate, 
ready, well-trained memory. 

The natural capacity for retaining and recalling ideas, 
in other words, for remembering, differs in different in- 
dividuals, depending as it does upon physiological dif- 
ferences in brain-tissue. But, as said above, by improv- 
ing habitual methods of recording impressions, and by 
increasing the number of and elaborating the ideas as- 
sociated with the one we wish to recall, we can acquire 
a memory obedient to will. 

The practice of certain ancient as well as more mod- 
ern rules of procedure will strengthen and improve the 
power to remember and recall at will. 

There are three methods of improving the memory, 
the mechanical, the judicious and the artificial. The first, 
known as the mechanical memory, is quickly disposed 
of. It makes use of all kinds of devices which appeal 
to the various senses and thus intensify the impressions 
made, and make several avenues of approach to the 
mind. Thus, the playing blocks for little children show 
a letter on one side, and a picture on the other, of an 
animal whose name begins with that letter. Certain 
Sunday School systems employ symbolic pictures to im- 
press certain spiritual truths or Scripture texts upon the 
child memory. Modern methods of language teaching 
accompany each foreign word with a picture illustrating 
a noun or an action, and intervals in music are taught 
with help of a pictured ladder. Children in schools to- 
day learn to remember verbs by dramatizing the action 
expressed, and history is learned by dramatizing a period, 
The Cortina method of teaching languages, by means of 



HOW TO IMPROVE THE MEMORY 101 

the phonograph, assists the eye by means of the ear. If 
an article be handled and the touch association combined 
with those of the other senses, another brain-path is 
made which aids recollection. 

The first requisite for the man who wishes to improve 
his memory, is that he shall be in earnest, and prepare 
to take time and pains to develop several mental powers. 
Since Recollection is the deliberate recalling of past 
images, it follows that if the previous image is hazy the 
recollection thereof will also be hazy, vague. Hence if 
you wish to be able to remember clearly you must be 
able to visualize distinctly. This involves close powers 
of observation and attention. If the idea presented in a 
sermon or a technical treatise be not clearly understood, 
how can memory be expected to record truly and to 
recall readily? If you wish later to be able to recall a 
face, or an event in history, or a series of sales argu- 
ments, you must cultivate the power to see them clearly 
in all their bearings and make as many associations with 
them as is possible. If the violinist playing for a phono- 
graph record makes a mistake, the record, when it is set 
a-whirling, will repeat the mistake. Your memory is 
your personal record of past images and ideas ; see to it 
that they are clear and true. 

Accurate observation involves close attention and com- 
parison — the noting of similarities and differences. You 
are introduced to a stranger. Intent on fixing his face 
in memory, you note color of hair and eyes, and any 
peculiarity of appearance or gesture that may distin- 
guish him from the innumerable other men you know. 
These, as a whole, must be instantly associated with the 
name with which he has been presented. If the mental 
picture formed be inaccurate, it may be mistaken for 



102 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

that of someone else, as when a lady graciously bowed 
in an elevator to one whom she thought she recognized 
as Mr. Green. Apologizing the next instant and explain- 
ing her mistake, the gentleman informed her that he was 
Mr. Brown. Later, her friends, rallying her, insisted 
that she was color-blind. Blind she was, as to faithful 
observation of differences. 

To cultivate the power of accurate, alert, definite ob- 
servation, practice using your eyes wherever you may 
happen to be. On reaching home at night describe as 
faithfully as possible persons met, shop windows studied, 
buildings admired or condemned, cloud effects enjoyed. 
The vagueness and inaccuracy with which most of us 
observe objects and events is evidenced by the various 
reports a group of people will give about the same oc- 
currence. An accident happens. How much agreement 
will there be between different accounts thereof? Re- 
ports will disagree as to exact time, place, actions. 

When introduced to a new acquaintance it is a good 
plan while quickly making note of his distinguishing char- 
acteristics, to impress his name upon memory by listen- 
ing attentively to the name when pronounced, and re- 
questing, if necessary, that it be repeated, and associat- 
ing it with some characteristic of the man. At the first 
opportunity spell it mentally to yourself, and put it in 
writing. Several such various paths to the central idea 
should fix it in the mind. Successful politicians make a 
great point of learning the names of all to whom intro- 
duced, and are thus, perhaps years later, able to gratify 
the natural vanity of human nature, by calling by name 
some person, who, however insignificant in the social 
world, is important if regarded in the light of a possible 
vote. J. G. Blaine was immensely popular, in part be- 



HOW TO IMPROVE THE MEMORY 103 

cause he never forgot the name of a person to whom he 
was once introduced. Car conductors cultivate another 
kind of memory for faces, so that they can remember 
those who have already paid their fares, and do not pain 
them by asking for them a second time. The business 
man must likewise cultivate this power of remembering 
faces linked with the right name. It is awkward after 
an interval of a month or so to meet a person and be 
obliged to say, "Beg pardon, but I did not quite catch 
your name the other night, would you mind spelling it?" 
"Certainly not, it is spelled S-M-I-T-H." 

In the street cars advertisements should be studied, 
noting the various means taken to attract attention and 
make an ineffaceable impression. Why are words so 
often deliberately misspelled? As, for example: 
the "Shur-on" eye-glasses." The incorrect spelling 
gives a mental shock which intensifies the impression 
and arouses curiosity. 

A young man beginning his life career should begin 
early to purchase and thus own books, acquiring little by 
little a good library, both of technical books and of those 
of lighter quality. Then he should practice the habit of 
marking lightly, with some special sign, such passages 
as most appeal to him, and afterwards, as an aid to 
memory, rewrite and condense in as few words as pos- 
sible, the gist of a paragraph. The continual practice of 
such careful reading, as this implies, will improve the 
memory, especially if pains be taken to memorize those 
parts most worth while. This also is an excellent exer- 
cise for enlarging the vocabulary. It should be needless 
to say that one is never to mark a library book or one 



104 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

belonging to another person unless especially requested 
to do so. 

One well known literary man made a practice of mark- 
ing impressive paragraphs thus: when a book was fin- 
ished, he would re-read those of the marked passages, 
double-marking those which seemed to him especially 
noteworthy. Those thus double-marked he would peruse 
again, marking for the third time those particularly de- 
serving it. Those with the triple mark of approbation 
he would commit to memory. The result was that he had 
a mind stored with a wealth of riches which neither 
moth nor rust could corrupt. 

Simply reading a book or hearing a discourse is not 
enough ; one should also cultivate the habit of meditating 
on what one hears or reads and thus make it one's own. 
One is then able to communicate his ideas to others. 
Talking over with others what one hears or reads is 
another excellent way to fix it in one's own mind. On 
trying to convey an idea to another we discover often 
how very hazy it has been, and are led to re-consider it. 

Rhythm underlies all our natural functions. The heart 
beats in rhythm; the lungs rise and fall in regular meas- 
ure. How quickly we respond with beat of feet and 
swing of head to well-marked time and tune. In accord 
with this law of our being, it seems that many facts can 
be much more readily committed to memory if put into 
rhythmic form. As, for instance, the old rhyme, 'Thirty 
days hath September." 

Educators have taken advantage of this to put into 
rhyme many lists of dates and events and the like, which 
otherwise are a great bore to learn. The business man 
can make use of this same law, to put into rhyme many 



HOW TO IMPROVE THE MEMORY 105 

points he wishes to recall with ease. For example, you 
are an agent for a certain kind of eye-glass frame, and 
wish to call attention to the points that it looks well, is 
comfortable, efficient and fashionable. In trying to make 
a sale you wish to remember all of these points, so you 
fling off a little rhyme to commit to memory thus: 

" glass 

Looks well on any lass; 

It is no joke 

That all manner of folk, 

Look through it with comfort and ease. 

Its efficiency surely will every one please." 

Of course, the above mentions only a very few points,, 
which doubtless could be remembered without the rhyme, 
but in case there were more advantages to be called to 
attention such rhymes would prevent one forgetting any 
one point. It goes without saying that the verses are not 
to be recited to the would-be purchaser. 

Much wit and wisdom in all languages has been for- 
ever immortalized by being put into rhyme and rhythm r 
and an apt quotation is often useful in conversation. 

The Road of Anthracite and Spotless Town are in- 
delibly pictured on many minds. It is good practice to 
exercise the rhyming faculty, so that when need arises 
one has attained facility in this mode of expression. The 
Books of the Bible and long lists of historic dates and 
events can be readily committed to memory when rhyme 
lends its aid. 

In learning verse by heart, especially beautiful poetry,, 
the selection should be read as a whole first, and its gen- 
eral message understood. Then line by line it should be 



106 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

thoughtfully read, until each image is thoroughly com- 
prehended and clearly visualized. This accomplished, it 
is an easy matter to learn it. The approved way is to 
repeat one line till memorized, then repeat the first, fol- 
lowed by the second. When two are thus learned, the 
third one is added, and so through all the lines, as each 
new one is to be added, the preceding ones are first re- 
peated. In teaching verse to children the teacher should 
make sure that the thought is perfectly clear to the child 
mind. 

We must observe not only attentively, but intelligently, 
if we would remember well. One great difference be- 
tween a good and a bad teacher, a good and a mediocre 
lecturer, is, that the former perceives his arguments so 
clearly, so definitely, and visualizes his illustrations so 
perfectly, that he is able to make his auditors perceive 
them also. This brings us to what is known as the 
Logical Memory. 

If a speech is to be prepared, and committed to mem- 
ory, or a man is planning to approach a "prospect" for 
a sale of any kind, he should arrange his points in a logical 
order, classifying, placing similar points under their re- 
spective headings, and so relating them that one hinges 
upon another in such a way as to bring to mind the one 
succeeding, thus leading up to the convincing conclusion. 

Such orderly arrangement and presentation involves 
study and hard mental work, but the very effort of de- 
ciding which is a leading argument and which is less 
important, helps to fix them in the mind, so that remem- 
bering them is the more easy. 

Repetition is one of the basic exercises upon which 
memory training depends. By taking the same way to a 
given point daily, the grass gets trodden down and a de- 



HOW TO IMPROVE THE MEMORY 107 

fined path is made, making each trip thither the more 
easy. But if for any reason the one path is cut off it is 
well to have other paths to the same point. So with mem- 
ory. If you have several ideas associated with a given 
point to be recalled, and one fails you, another one may 
be followed. Thus, you try to recall who wrote a book 
you want to buy. You think of the friend who recom- 
mended it, but that does not bring it to mind. So then 
you run through a list of authors on such subjects until 
perhaps the Christian name of one suggests the last name 
of the author. 

Go over and over again the items or arguments you 
wish to recall, repeating them in different language, and 
condensing them into as few words as possible. This 
last is excellent practice for helping to fix the gist of a 
subject in the mind. 

We now come to "mnemonics," the so-called "ingeni- 
ous" or "artificial" methods of recording facts upon the 
memory. This is an ancient art, according to some 
writers the poet Simonides (500 B. C.) being the first to 
reduce it to a system. The Roman orators made use of 
such principles and methods in securing ease and facility 
in addressing and impressing their auditors. 

Among the modern methods the most famous is the so- 
called Loisette or Link System ; others are the Localizing 
System ; the Peg-or- Anchor System ; the Substitution and 
the Initializing Systems. Each of these has its merits. 
But the ambitious student must realize before he begins 
to make use of any one that each requires systematic, 
conscientious practice at the beginning. If no results are 
obtained it is because not enough earnest effort has been 
put forth. 



108 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

All of these methods make use of the great law of asso- 
ciation without which there can be no memory. 

In the Link System, if you wish to remember two or 
more things, you think out certain resemblances or asso- 
ciations between the two, whether of sound or appear- 
ance, or other associations, and then link these together 
by some other characteristic which they have in common, 
either actual or arbitrary, even if very far-fetched. Thus 
you wish to imprint on memory the much-referred-to 
"Fourteen Points" and you go at it thus, having con- 
densed the points into as few words as possible, linking 
them by significant words. 

i. Open covenants of peace, openly arrived at. 
Cove — seas. 

2. Freedom of the seas. Seas — commerce — trade. 

3. Equality of Trade Conditions. Trade — income — 

tax — reduction. 

4. Reduction of armaments. Arms — scales — adjust- 

ment. 

5. Adjustment of colonial claims with reference to 

wishes of governed population. Population 
— pop — Popoff — Russian. 

6. Evacuation of all Russian Territory. 

And so on. Between each two points must be found 
some point of contact suggesting the next and if it can 
have a bit of a joke tucked away in it, so much the bet- 
ter, for the element of humor always makes an impres- 
sion deeper. 

Localizing is perhaps the oldest of artificial systems. 
It was the form used by the ancient Romans. As mod- 
ernized the idea is to make a vivid mental picture of a 



HOW TO IMPROVE THE MEMORY 109 

room, the relative position of windows, doors and ob- 
jects contained within it. Then the points to be remem- 
bered are associated with the different parts of the room. 
Thus: 

To memorize the aforesaid Fourteen Points, make a 
mental image of your family Bible, which represents the 
Covenant between God and His People. Also associate 
it (open) in your mind with the first point of the Treaty. 

For the second point, associate the thought of freedom 
of the seas with the door of the room which opens into 
freedom. 

For the third point, associate the idea of trade equality 
with the letter-scales on your desk. 

The condition regarding arms can be recalled by sight 
of your arm-chair. 

That of adjustment of claims, by thinking of mantel- 
piece and readjusting of articles upon it. And so forth. 

Akin to Localization is the peg-or-anchor system. 
Under this might properly come the reminder to keep an 
engagement by tying a string around a finger or changing 
a ring from its ordinary finger to another. It sometimes 
happens that a person will make such a change or tie such 
a string and then when he gets to his office remembers 
that there was something he should do, but cannot recall 
what it was. Therefore it is necessary to associate the 
string or ring with some other idea. For instance, at 
six o'clock you have an engagement to dine. Consider 
that each of the ten fingers has its own number. Tie 
an inconspicuous string to Finger 6, looking meanwhile 
at VI on the clock dial, and if liable to forget the person 
with whom you are to dine link with the above, some 



110 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

other association. Thus, the clock has a round face, and 
so has Green. Or, perhaps, by contrast, this clock is 
slow and Brown is very quick. 

Your wife asks you to bring home a certain book. As 
you tie the string on your finger, you visualize the string 
around the wrapped book. 

It is a good practice in leaving one's seat in a car to 
always look behind upon leaving in order to make sure 
that an umbrella or package is not left. Form this into a 
habit. If you place a package in a rack in a train, make 
a vivid mental image of it and associate this with the 
door of the car. Then when you get ready to leave, the 
sight of the door will recall the package. Also, make 
it an invariable rule on leaving a telephone booth to 
glance behind and into the corners to make sure that 
umbrella or book is not forgotten. 

If you have lost something valuable on your way from 
business and know the streets through which you came 
you will seek it by retracing carefully every foot of the 
way. So it sometimes happens that we have lost some 
idea that occurred to us and which we seek to recover. 
How do we go about it? Knowing that anything to be 
recalled must be associated with some other idea, we en- 
deavor to retrace our mental steps in hopes of meeting 
with some idea that will lead us to the lost one. It is 
particularly exasperating to have some brilliant idea or 
plan come to us in the silent wakeful watches of the 
night, only to find when morning comes, that it has en- 
tirely evaporated. The only safe thing to do when a 
thought comes to us at night thus, is to at once put it in 
writing. For this reason it is a good plan to have pencil 



HOW TO IMPROVE THE MEMORY 111 

and paper at hand, and to acquire a little skill in writing 
in the dark a hand that is legible. 

An old but useful method, especially for remembering 
dates, is the Substitution System, or Figure- Alphabet. 
Each of the ten digits is represented by one or more con- 
sonants (there not being enough digits for each of the 
20 or more consonants or consonant combinations). Dr. 
Richard Grey, in 1730, originated one, but Loisette im- 
proved upon it and his stands as follows: 

1234567890 
tnmr lshgfbs 

d j k v p c 

th ch c qu 

g ng 

These numbers and letters must be perfectly memor- 
ized. Then it is easy to practice finding associations which 
will fix numbers in the mind. Thus : 

You wish to impress on your mind the date of America's 
discovery, 1492. 

1 (t, d, th) 4 r; 9 b, p; 2,n. After some mental gym- 
nastics you select the letters t, r, b, 11, and evolve the 
sentence (America) discovered r (eally b(y n(avigator. 
When asked when was America discovered you recall 
this absurd statement and often the more absurd the 
more easily recalled, while the initials recall the date. 
Although this example might also come under the System 
known as Initializing. 

Initializing is an ancient method, an example of its 
employment being the learning of the prismatic colors by 
forming the word Vibgyor of their initials, thus they run, 
Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red. Points 



112 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

to remember in addressing a "prospect" may thus be ini- 
tialized and an easily remembered sentence made acrostic 
fashion. Thus, a certain undergarment has the follow- 
ing merits, being porous, elastic, cool, comfortable, fit- 
ting, union, or two-piece, thin, light, absorbent. Taking 
the capital letters you form the sentence "U place two 
comforts." Running over this in your mind recalls the 
main features of your sales article. 



HOW TO IMPROVE THE MEMORY 113 



"Heir of all the ages, I — 

Heir of all that they have wrought ! 
All their store of emprise high, 

All their wealth of precious thought. 

Every golden deed of theirs, 
Sheds its lustre on my way, 

All their labors, all their prayers, 
Sanctify this present day. 

Heir of all that they have earned 
By their passion and their tears ; 

Heir of all that they have learned 
Through the weary toiling years; 



Aspirations pure and high, 
Strength to do and to endure; 

Heir of all the ages, I — 
Lo, I am no longer poor!" 



114 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 



EFFICIENCY THROUGH SELF-DEVELOPMENT 
ORDER 

We live in a world in which order reigns. The stars, 
the constellations pursue their distant courses in obedience 
to law. The tides of the ocean rise and fall, in rhythmic 
measure, every six hours; there is a certain harmony 
between the beating of the heart and the action of the 
lungs. The emotions of the most unmusical of persons, 
will respond to the steady, regular rhythm of the drum- 
beat. We rise each morning, quite certain that the sun 
will have risen at its appointed time. And that man 
succeeds best who recognizes divine law and order, and 
ever establishes his life in accord therewith. 

But though man's body is a mechanism, his spirit ever 
strives to attain freedom, and it attains this best, through 
obeying known laws. We may not be able to make the 
wind veer, but we can make the sailboat go in any direc- 
tion by tacking. 

By arranging your life in an orderly way; by eating, 
working, sleeping at regular hours ; by having a place for 
everything and everything in its place, you save time, 
energy, nerve wear and tear, and thus set free your 
powers for their daily duties. Being creatures of habit 
as we are, the daily hour for prescribed functions, of 
body and mind, for mental work, for physical exercise, 



EFFICIENCY THROUGH SELF-DEVELOPMENT 115 

for rest, makes the doing of each more easy and more 
efficient. If you are not naturally of an orderly mind, 
begin to cultivate that virtue at once ; your business suc- 
cess may depend upon it. You cannot concentrate effort 
upon your work when obliged to interrupt thought by 
searching here for that mislaid pencil or letter; or there 
for that farm implement, or that box of nails. Those who 
have much miscellaneous business to attend to, might 
well call upon some systematic friend to assist them in 
putting their affairs in card-index order. 

Wordsworth's beautiful apostrophe to "Duty" may 
well apply also to law and order and punctuality : 

"Stern lawgiver ! yet dost thou wear 
The Godhead's most benignant grace; 
Nor know we anything so fair 
As is the smile upon thy face; 
Flowers laugh before thee on their beds ; 
And fragrance in thy footing treads ; 
Thou dost preserve the stars from wrong, 
And the most ancient heavens, through thee are fresh 
and strong." 

Punctuality in arriving at one's place of business, and 
in the keeping of engagements is essential to success. If 
inclined to dawdle, realize that "Now" is the time to cor- 
rect that fault. Submit yourself to your own analysis, 
to determine exactly why you are unpunctual and how 
to correct the weakness. 

Is it because you are not interested in your work ? 

Is it because you do not see why punctuality is neces- 
sary? 



116 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

Is it because you awake in the mornings unrefreshed 
and find it difficult to get up on time? 

Orderly habits are great time-savers. In these days of 
competition, time is indeed money. Punctuality is an 
attendant on order. "Spare moments are the gold-dust of 
time/' and vast quantities of the precious dust slip 
through the fingers of those who are unpunctual. 

When you have an appointment allow ample time to 
reach the meeting place. Even though you think you 
can afford to idle away your own time you have no right 
to waste that of others. The man of affairs has no pa- 
tience with him who is tardy in keeping an appointment. 
He has perhaps adjusted his business for the day with 
reference to what you may have to say. Do not risk 
throwing the machinery out of gear by unpunctuality. 

The employer who arrives punctually at his place of 
business naturally inspires that virtue in his assistants. 
Most successful business men arrive early at the office. 
If you are an employe, remembering that honesty and 
fidelity demand that you give full measure of time, you 
will be punctual in arriving ; and when the hour for leav- 
ing approaches, you will not concentrate too much atten- 
tion on the hands of the clock. That distracts from your 
work. Until you leave, give every bit of mind to the 
matter in hand. For your own soul's sake and the build- 
ing up of character and eventual success, let each day 
be a success in that your work is faithfully done; and 
trust the future. 

The young man who owes his position to being a rela- 
tive of one of his firm is frequently to be pitied rather 
than congratulated, because unpunctuality and slackness 
are overlooked or excused and he fails to establish those 
business habits that success demands. He fails to see 



EFFICIENCY THROUGH SELF-DEVELOPMENT 117 

the "I" in true relationship to the great whole of which 
he is but a part. Demand of the "I" that it live up to 
the highest of which it is capable from day to day, but 
do not try to impress your opinion of your own impor- 
tance upon other people. Let your character and per- 
sonality speak for themselves. 

If not sufficiently interested in your work to occasion- 
ally work overtime when emergencies arise, you are not 
likely to advance very far in that occupation. If you give 
routine service only, expect only routine pay. 

If tempted to arrive late and leave early because you 
are not interested in your employment, then, seek for 
something different, although meanwhile determined to 
overcome the fault. Strengthen yourself by thinking of 
your duty to your employer (or your employes as the case 
may be), and of the sinews of character you are develop- 
ing. Also, cultivate some interest in your daily toil, by 
learning something of its relation to the past and to life 
in general today. 

We once visited a large plant for the making of reap- 
ing machines. Day after day men and women were em- 
ployed each in some small operation which became ab- 
solutely mechanical, such, for instance, as the sharpening 
on a grindstone of innumerable tiny blades, one after the 
other. "Only that and nothing more." We asked if any 
of these workers ever saw a machine assembled as a 
whole, and knew how it worked and the part it played 
in the life of the country? No. Each knew only his 
own operation, unassociated with the rest. 

Try to see your own life in relation to other lives, and 
what was heretofore drudgery, becomes illuminated with 
an inner light. In time you may play a part in so reor- 
ganizing labor that no person is obliged to pursue one 



118 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

task until he becomes a machine himself, but rotation in 
operations is made possible, and the spirit of happy co- 
operation replaces that of dull mechanism. 

If you are unpunctual because lazy or tired, then pon- 
der over the laws of physical health. Are you eating 
the food that nourishes, Are you eschewing the vices 
that weaken? Are you keeping early hours? Burning 
up the candle at both ends is a poor way to get either 
light or energy, or heat. 

Recreation means that which re-creates, renews, gives 
fresh life. 

Dissipation means to scatter, to disperse, "used appro- 
priately of the dispersion of things that can never again 
be collected or restored." If you aspire to success of 
any kind, can you afford to dissipate any of your powers, 
or your possessions ? If you do not awake refreshed after 
your regular sleep, find out the reason and obey the be- 
hests of Hygeia, goddess of health. 

PERSONAL HABITS 

Personal habits have much to do with the success or 
non-success of the social aspirant and of the business 
man. 

Be scrupulously clean in person and dress. Face and 
hands must of course be clean, and the finger nails as 
well. But never, never, allow yourself to absent-mind- 
edly clean your nails or pick your teeth in public. Such 
functions appertaining to the toilet belong to the privacy 
of the dressing-room, or some retired corner, as should 
the chewing of gum. Gum-chewing is recommended for 
those whose digestive system needs stimulation or regu- 
lation in certain directions. It undoubtedly serves a use- 



EFFICIENCY THROUGH SELF-DEVELOPMENT 119 

ful purpose with many people. But if chew you must, 
do not do it publicly. It makes you unpleasantly con- 
spicuous ; annoys others who are obliged to face you, and 
might cause you the loss of a prospective position, should 
your hoped-for employer be fastidious and think himself 
insulted by gum-chewing in his presence. 

Be neat and clean in dress without being over-fastid- 
ious. No spots should appear on the suit of clothes and 
the collar should be above reproach as to cleanness and 
starch. The girl in business should avoid wearing much 
jewelry, and a style of dress that attracts masculine at- 
tention. Even when the styles seem most unwomanly, it 
is possible to find suits that are not extreme and yet suffi- 
ciently in the prevailing mode to be fashionable. 

The business man should also avoid eating strong on- 
ions or bologna sausage or other odoriferous foods that 
make his breath disagreeable to those with whom he must 
associate. Eat such things only when with others who 
are eating them and who will thus not be troubled by 
them. 

The man who wants to succeed, especially the young 
man, should early find out if he is one of the few who 
can safely smoke, without injury to himself. There is 
no excuse for any man to acquire the habit, in these 
days of enlightenment upon the subject. Banks and 
railroads and other professions, and occupations, find 
that more errors are made by smokers, especially of 
cigarettes, than by non-smokers. Tobacco affects the 
heart and the eyes. Competition is so strong in the busi- 
ness world that you want to think twice before you risk 
becoming the victim of a habit that may handicap you 
through life and is bound to be a cause of annoyance 
to others. 



120 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

Do not smoke in the office, or if you are such a slave 
to the habit that you think you cannot forego it, then do 
as did one considerate man, who always sat in such a 
position near the window, that the smoke was dissipated 
in the outside air, and the throats of non-smokers were 
not irritated. 

If self-conquest seems difficult, brace yourself up with 
the reminder that as heir of the ages, you sum up in your- 
self all the powers of self-restraint bequeathed by your 
innumerable ancestors. 

Some one has said "we wash because we are clean." 
This paradoxical statement is self-clarifying, although 
at first sight meaningless. To the extent that the spirit 
itself delights in cleanliness and purity, to that extent 
does it insist on the externals being clean, and expressing 
purity. 

There are those, it is true, who are fastidious in person 
and dress, and insist on the daily bath and all of its lux- 
urious appointments, and who may be unclean in mind, 
and in daily life. But if we wish to truly succeed in life, 
to be conquerors, to be the "I" that we are meant to be, 
we must be clean from the inside out. And this inner 
purity becomes easy as soon as we recognize that we are 
heirs of all the divine impulses of our ancestors, and 
are responsible trustees of those noble stirrings toward 
a higher life, which move at times in every soul. 

This is the easiest of all eras, for a man or woman 
who aspires towards a clean life. For science backs up 
the scriptures of all religions, and says that if you sin 
you and yours must suffer often unto the third and fourth 
generation. You break the moral law at your peril. "The 
bird with a broken pinion never flies so high again." 

But happily, though we cannot undo the past, when 



EFFICIENCY THROUGH SELF-DEVELOPMENT 121 

once we realize that we have taken the wrong road, we 
can turn, and retrace our steps. We can at least flutter 
in the right direction, and increase for good those powers 
that remain. By choosing the right companions, reading 
the right books, engaging in the right work and refresh- 
ing ourselves with the right amusements, we can 
strengthen our good resolves until once more on safe 
ground. Public opinion is converted to the view that the 
straight life is possible and strengthens the weak will. 

COMPANIONS 

"A man is known by the company he keeps." "Birds 
of a feather flock together." 

In order that you may realize your best self, may de- 
velop to the full the mental and spiritual side of your 
nature, and so become an all-round man or woman, you 
must associate with those who are akin to you on your 
best side. This does not mean that you must choose as 
friends only the long-faced, serious, bookish folk, but that 
if you go with those who have high ideals of life and of 
business ; who speak correct English ; who read good lit- 
erature, you will thus develop your own judgment and 
good taste, and be continually expanding your own hori- 
zon ; increasing your possibilities for personal happiness ; 
developing your inner resources, and so preparing your- 
self to advance in a social as well as a material way. 

A young man or woman, strangers in a city that 
is to become their field of action, will be wise to ally 
themselves with some church or organization corre- 
sponding to a church, that will, by its insistence upon 



122 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

the fundamentals of the higher life, help balance the 
disappointments and disillusionments that meet one in 
daily business. Nearly every phase of religious belief 
is represented by an active organization in the big 
cities. The orthodox and liberal Christian churches, 
the orthodox and liberal Jewish synagogues; the Chris- 
tian Science, and New Thought churches; the Friends' 
meeting houses, and the Ethical Culture Societies, offer 
moral and religious nourishment and inspiration from 
such varied standpoints that the craving for spiritual 
companionship, for fellowship with those whose 
needs and whose ideals resemble our own, is possible 
now as never before. 

The enterprising young man and woman will realize 
that to keep at their best, physical exercise and recrea- 
tion is necessary. Dancing schools of the right kind 
develop ease and grace which are an essential part of 
bodily control. 

The gymnasiums and swimming pools of the Y. M. 
C. A.'s and other similar organizations, give opportuni- 
ties for developing the body in other ways. The eve- 
ning classes open important chances of education for 
those whose earlier opportunities have been few. 

Affiliation with museums and with historical societies, 
or with musical organizations, offer other opportunities, 
not only to enrich one's own life, but to further the 
higher life of the city. With one or more such groups 
of people, he who desires to express his own noblest 
self, should ally himself. Man is a social being. You 
must flock with someone. Choose companions of a low 
order and you narrow your own horizon and your own 
chances for the truest success. 



EFFICIENCY THROUGH SELF-DEVELOPMENT 123 

Art galleries and museums are open to all. By more 
or less regular visits to such, and by reading of such 
books as "How to Enjoy Pictures/' and studying those 
you see, you can improve your own taste and judgment 
in regard to pictures, will learn to criticize them intelli- 
gently, become acquainted with the names and styles 
of ancient as well as modern artists, and the different 
schools of art, and will then not only enjoy pictures 
more, but will find yourself looking at the people around 
you, the architecture of your city, scenes in the country 
and the phases of the sea and sky, with a new and keen 
interest — that will always be a source of pure and en- 
nobling pleasure. 

Such increased knowledge will add immensely to the 
zest of a walk down the avenue at lunchtime. One pic- 
ture-shop after another offers its windows to your dis- 
criminating taste. Masters of form and color are to be 
enjoyed without money and without price. 

Charles Darwin said that, when a youth, he had a 
great love for music, but had given himself so completely 
over to his scientific investigations that, not being fed, 
his pleasure in music had been entirely lost, and had he 
his life to live over again, he would hear fine music at 
least once a week. 

Cultivate then, at least one refining source of pleasure; 
it will enlarge your acquaintance, be a subject for re-» 
flection in odd moments, prove a balance to the onerous 
cares of business, and a solace when worries fret. Do 
not however, pursue it with such zest that the first be- 
comes last, and your business becomes secondary to 
your recreation. 



124 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

When the time for promotion comes, the man who 
with the usual business virtues, combines a cultured 
taste, a broadly-cultivated mind, will find these an asset 
in his favor. 

Although supposedly free to choose your companions 
out of office hours, while in business or factory or shop, 
you must perforce associate more or less intimately with 
those who share their daily tasks with you. This offers 
opportunity to practice the living together, of which we 
have before spoken. Learn to be friendly and true, fair 
and just, cheerful and kind to your every-day compan- 
ions. To thine own self be true — to your own ideals, 
and be tolerant of the views of others. But always and 
ever, urge the right of the human to think — not only the 
right but the duty of the human soul to think, to reason. 
Don't let others do your thinking for you. 

Also, remember you are your brothers' keeper, and up- 
hold him in his nobler aspirations. 

"If meat cause my brother to offend, then I will ab- 
stain from meat," said the great Paul. So you, today, 
who may, thanks to a Spartan line of ancestors, be 
strong enough to drink, smoke, or even gamble with 
safety, take thought for your weaker brother ; and if you 
observe that he is tempted to drink, smoke or gamble, 
when it means death to his successful career, be gen- 
erous and brave to abstain yourself for the sake of help- 
ing him to a firmer footing on life's precipitous path- 
way. 

So the girl of good taste and sound principle, can little 
by little, without preaching, often help her more frivo- 
lous sister to better standards of living, especially if she 
aids her in having a good time in normal, healthful 



EFFICIENCY THROUGH SELF-DEVELOPMENT 125 

ways. Don't be a prig. Example is more efficacious 
than words. In the words of Emerson: 

Little thinks in the field, yon red-cloaked clown, 

Of thee, from the hilltop, looking down; 

The heifer that lows in the upland farm, 

Far-heard, lows not thine ear to charm; 

The sexton, tolling his bell at noon, 

Deems not that great Napoleon 

Stops his horse, and lists with delight, 

While his files sweep round yon Alpine height; 

Nor knowest thou what argument 

Thy life to thy neighbor's creed hath lent. 

All are needed by each one; 

Nothing is fair or good alone." 

Who would have friends must show himself friendly. 
If a shop-mate is usually grumpy, fault-finding, jealous^ 
sarcastic, be yourself superior to his or her attitude to- 
ward you; do not let it fret you; nor antagonize; the 
spirit of envy and ill-will is more painful and injurious 
to the possessor thereof, than to the one who must bear 
the brunt of it. You cannot tell what worries and home 
cares, what disappointments and trials, may have 
planted the evil germs, which will die in time if you 
help other seeds to grow. The sunlight of friendliness 
is a good germ-killer. 

Be friendly then, but not necessarily familiar. Famili- 
arity breeds contempt. 

We find what we look for. Look for the fine, true 
human spirit in each soul with whom you come in con- 
tact, and sooner or late the response will come. But do 
not tear up the delicate plant by the roots to see if it is 
taking root. 



126 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

In his study of race prejudice, Professor Shaler points 
out that many antagonisms may be traced to the subtle 
feelings of annoyance aroused by unfamiliar and irri- 
tating modes of approach. The oriental meets oriental 
in a way understood by each ; and so with the occidental ; 
but when an exuberant nature meets one that is cold 
and restrained; or an emotional one is introduced to a 
character stern and unbending, the first contact is often 
disagreeable to both parties. Further acquaintance may 
prove that each possesses qualities which supplement 
those of the other and a lasting and valuable friendship 
results. 

It is better to be too restrained than too forward or 
aggressive in meeting other people. But be ready to 
meet advances part way. 

Foreigners, newly arrived in America, sometimes 
make the mistake of assuming an aggressive, insolent 
air, under the impression that this is what free America 
stands for. American freedom always implies that your 
neighbor has rights as well as yourself; it respects the 
other man's individuality. Therefore, in maintaining 
one's own rights and privileges, we will do so with due 
regard to the other fellow; this thought will save us 
from arrogance and the wrong "approach." 

GOOD CHEER 

"Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good- 
fortune, 
Henceforth I whimper no more." 

— Walt Whitman. 
Let us set out on life's journey with the above verse 
as a slogan, and Happiness, if not Success, will hasten 
to attend us. Like draws like, and better bread with 



EFFICIENCY THROUGH SELF-DEVELOPMENT 127 

cheerfulness, than a banquet with a skeleton in the seat 
of honor. 

On the wall of the Little Mothers' Greenwich Street 
branch, hangs the motto '"Happiness is a Habit/' and 
surely the cultivation of good cheer is one of the first 
steps toward fixing this habit. 

A French divine said, "To be good and disagreeable, 
is high treason against virtue." Why? Simply and na- 
turally because, if one is virtuous but gloomy, pious and 
long- faced, we come to associate melancholy and severity 
with morality, and to avoid the cultivation of the one in 
order to keep clear of the other. The normal human 
being edges away from, such virtue, preferring the path 
of the laughing brook to that bordered by the cypress 
swamp. 

The recruiting soldiers, standing before their little 
tents, do not wear sour visages, as they urge new men 
to join their ranks; even if they tell of hardships, they 
do it with a smile on the lip, and a joke on the tongue. 
So if you want companions, laugh as you proceed, and 
they will flock to your standard. 

But what if you are not a born Mark Tapley? If 
life's shadows are so real to your perceptions that you 
see no reason for a smile, much less a laugh? If the 
spectacles worn by the eyes of your spirit are smoked 
glasses rather than rose-tinted? If like "Jud Brownin' " 
when he heard Rubenstein play, you are "happier bein' 
miserable, than to be happy without bein' miserable." 
There are many such natures. 

Sometimes the reason for this disposition is physical, 
and can be removed. But even if temperamental, it can 
be controlled, and should be, for the enrichment of one's 



128 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

own life, the success of one's career, and the happiness 
of one's associates. 

If it is indigestion that colors your view of life, re- 
move the cause of the trouble if at the cost of a forty 
days' fast. 

The pun is true, that whether or not life is worth liv- 
ing depends to great extent upon the liver. If the 
trouble is in the liver, exercise it by physical exercises, 
proper bendings and twistings of the body, or by change 
of diet. If the trouble be due to excessive smoking, or 
other injurious habit, focus your attention on the image 
of the ideal body, free from pain, perfect in all its func- 
tions, obedient to your will; think of the desirability of 
controlling such a beautiful mechanism, kept in the con- 
dition proper to such an exquisite organism, determine 
to bring it up to its best capacity, and let bad habits 
of indulgence go. 

"I am the Master of my Fate" because in part, I am 
master of my body. 

There are, however, those who are color-blind and 
those who are tone-deaf, and for such, no amount of 
training will produce the sense that is lacking. And so, 
in the realm of the spirit, there are those who are na- 
turally reserved, quiet, melancholy. This, however, does 
not justify one in casting a circle of gloom wherever 
their footsteps lead. One can at least smile sadly. That 
life is most successful which radiates most sunshine. 

Whether you "take to the open road," or whether 
you must follow the straight track that leads through 
the desert; whether your life errand requires that you 
fly along the highway in a motor-car, or hang by a strap 
in the crowded trolley that lands you at the factory 
door, — even though you may not be able to command a 



EFFICIENCY THROUGH SELF-DEVELOPMENT 129 

light heart, you can at least abstain from whimpering on 
the way; you can act as if you were light-hearted, and 
your own spirits will respond to the suggestion. 

The employer, although he does not want a smirking 
clerk, prefers to be greeted every morning by a smile 
rather than a frown; the person seeking employment, is 
not well able to choose with whom he may cast his lot, 
but assuredly he will be able to do his work better for 
one who is cheery and expects cheerful service, than for 
him who casts a cold spell upon all who enter the sacred 
precincts of the inner office. 

True it is as Burns has said: 

"If happiness have not her seat and centre in the breast, 
We may we wise or rich or great, but never truly blest." 

As one of life's best possessions let us cultivate the 
spirit of faith and of cheer, ever claiming, 

"I myself am good fortune." 

CO-OPERATION 

The fighting instinct is deep-seated. From the begin- 
ning competition seems to have been the slogan of prog- 
ress. Up to date, the fittest appears to have been the 
one in whom tooth and claw were best developed, al- 
though Elbert Hubbard pointed out that the horse's 
superiority consisted in his ability to run away. But 
we find that co-operation and mutual aid in times of 
need developed very early, also. Animals living in com- 
munities developed a social instinct, taking pleasure in 
each other's company, and giving warning in time of 
danger, while in such communities as those of the bee- 
hive and ant-hill, we see a life highly organized for mu- 
tual welfare, with what might be called a caste system, 



130 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

in which each group has a particular set of duties to 
perform, upon which the good of all depends. 

Even amongst the plants we find those which have 
developed a kind of community life, in which there is 
not only co-operation between the members of a small 
collective group, but a certain interdependence has been 
established between a plant and an animal species. Wit- 
ness the clover or the daisy. The flower of the latter is 
composed of many tiny flowerets, clustered into a head, 
each with its offering of nectar, to the insect guest. By 
thus uniting to spread a common table, all benefit by the 
hospitality of all. While the insect sips from one 
floweret it fertilizes another, possibly with the pollen 
derived from a third, and the entire head prospers. The 
clover offers nectar to the bee, which unconsciously ferti- 
lizes it with the pollen from another blossom, and the ex- 
change is of mutual profit. 

We are heirs of this instinct for co-operation as well 
as of the fighting impulse, and in proportion as we learn 
to substitute co-operation for competition, to that extent 
do we grow in intelligence and virtue. 

It has taken a long, long time to develop in the human 
being, the power to co-operate successfully on a large 
scale. First the members of a family learned to dwell 
together in unity, and to contribute each his or her share 
to the mutual good. The family grew into the clan, the 
clan into the tribe ; and so on, until states and dukedoms 
and kingdoms became organized and nations developed. 
Through all this unifying process, while co-operation de- 
veloped in the clan, or tribe or state, each clan or tribe 
and state felt itself in competition with neighboring clans, 
tribes and states, until one or another finally was ab- 
sorbed and a larger whole formed. Meanwhile, men 



EFFICIENCY THROUGH SELF-DEVELOPMENT 131 

were learning better and better, the art of living with 
other men, but he is still far from perfection, witness 
the recent world war. 

Christianity taught us the worth of each human soul, 
but one nation has not yet learned to honor the soul, the 
spirit of another nation. As each human soul is di- 
vinely different from another soul, so each nation is di- 
vinely different from another nation, and has something 
to contribute to the general good that no other nation 
can give. 

But in order to stand myself, must I crush other as- 
piring souls? In order that my nation may stand must 
it crush another nation? If that were the law of the 
past, may we not rise superior to that law? "Nice cus- 
toms courtesy to great kings," and to American citizens 
who determine to inaugurate a new era. 

Are you willing to do your share, to help usher in a 
new day? To help towards making the imperfect a de- 
gree nearer to being perfect? 

The past few decades have seen a progress in co- 
operation more rapid than has ever been observed before. 
Heretofore the army has been the pattern of a co- 
operative human machine, but it has been a machine in- 
deed. The units must each fit unquestionably into their 
respective grooves and do as they are bid. 

But to-day, even the army succeeds better in which 
the units are regarded as human. 

"There is a soul of good in things evil," and war has 
been a teacher to man, albeit a brutal one. It is time 
we were graduated from this school into a higher one, 
based upon co-operation between nations as between indi- 
viduals. But men have not learned to co-operate in the 
army without much stern practice and drilling. Is it 



132 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

not as essential to practice and drill for co-operation in 
times of peace? 

There are few institutions if any, in which people re- 
ceive training or practice in living together for a demo- 
cracy. The different religious institutions for the prac- 
tice of the perfect life, as a rule have been based on an 
autocratic form of government; there has been little or 
no effort to develop the individuality and initiative and 
independence of character of each member of the order. 
Obedience has been the rule. 

The Kindergarten, so far as we know, is the sole social 
educational organization planned with the deliberate in- 
tention of fostering the individuality of each soul, giv- 
ing it daily practice in right relationships with others, 
and so training it to be a contributing as well as a re- 
ceiving member of the community. 

The laws governing the right relations of one indi- 
vidual to another have been pretty well grounded into 
mankind, by rubbing up together through the centuries; 
but the right relations of communities, one to another, 
of one town, one city, one nation, one corporation, one 
group of people to another group, is still in its infancy. 

We have been brought up to believe that so funda- 
mental, and so necessary to progress and the life of the 
individual nation is warfare, that it must ever exist. If 
all mankind for two generations, in kindergarten, grade 
and high school, could be educated according to kinder- 
garten principles, when difference of opinion arose, these 
students, grown to manhood and womanhood, would find 
a way out, without bloodshed. 

Mankind is feeling in the dark towards a higher and 
nobler relationship between the nations. It is the busi- 
ness man's privilege and duty to help in finding the clue 



EFFICIENCY THROUGH SELF-DEVELOPMENT 133 

which will lead out of the labyrinth. As Theseus of 
old destroyed the ravenous Bull of Crete, which de- 
manded each year its quota of young men and maidens, 
so may each one choose to be one of the heroes who will 
help end the kind of madness now rending the world. 

Before, however, we can assume to straighten out the 
tangle of international disputes, it is just as well for us 
to practice living together in harmony with the members 
of our own immediate family, our fellow employees in 
the office or factory, the other occupants of our apart- 
ment house, and all whom we may call "neighbor." 

The loyal citizen of a cosmopolitan town, learns how 
to adjust himself to different races and creeds, and to 
respect the traditions and opinions of others, while still 
maintaining his own; all this is excellent practice for 
those who believe their country is worthy to be a leader 
in the growing movement for co-operation rather than 
murderous competition between the world empires. 

He that ruleth his own spirit is in a fair way to being 
able to help rule his city and to help rule the congress of 
nations. 

RESPONSIBILITY 

To be truly successful in life you must be equal to 
more and more heavy responsibilities. Train yourself 
to think of all emergencies likely to occur in your trade 
or profession that might call for instant decision. You 
should be like the skilled fencer, whose body is so well 
poised, and whose eye and hand are so well trained, 
that he is ready on the instant to step backward or for- 
ward, to this or to that side, to spring to the attack or 
to make the needed ward, every sense and muscle under 
perfect command. 



134 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

Then, in case of disturbances caused by illness or 
death in the firm; by promotion of others; by fire or 
flood, or business panic, or other emergency, he who 
knows the business, and is conscious of possessing 
knowledge and force, will be ready to spring to the res- 
cue, and make good. Like a thief in the night may 
come the call. "Now" is the time to prepare for it. 

Therefore, be alert and interested to advance your 
own or your employer's business in every possible way. 
Note where there are unnecessary leakages in the ex- 
pense items, and where better progress can be made by 
incurring more expense. As, for instance, the installing 
of an electric fan in hot weather, is not only a matter of 
comfort for the worker, but is likely to more than repay 
the expense in a short time. 

If you are an employer you expect your clerk or your 
stenographer or your "hands" to give you honest service. 
See to it that you deal as fairly with them. 

Some years ago, the National Cash Register Company 
was holding a biennial meeting of its employes and it was 
the privilegeof three ladies to be theguests of the company 
for a week. One summer evening, one of the Patterson 
brothers told them how they came to introduce the many 
happy improvements into their factories which made life 
so much more worth living for their numerous employes. 
He said that he noticed one day a vessel of some kind 
resting on a radiator. He called this to the attention of a 
foreman and said, "That is not a very good way to heat 
glue." "Oh, that isn't glue. The girls are heating their 
coffee for lunch." Mr Patterson was a thinking, as well 
as an observing man, and he decided that if that was not 
a good way to heat glue it was no more good for the 
heating of coffee, and so suggested, at some business 



EFFICIENCY THROUGH SELF-DEVELOPMENT 135 

meeting, the putting in of some coffee-cooking machine, 
Many were the objections. "Think of the smell of coffee 
all through the place. " But he persisted, and presto! 
Immediate were the results that had been unforeseen. 
The better nourished girl responded at once in the better 
work done, and reasoning from this, Jittle by little other 
improvements were installed, and always with the result 
that led the firm, at this great convention of sales-agents 
and mechanics, to frequently make the statement, ver- 
bally, and on the screen, "It pays." 

To you, then, employer, we would give the reminder, 
that the employing of labor involves responsibilities on 
your part as well as upon those who answer to your pay- 
roll. Be just, cultivate your imagination, study modern 
methods, install modern improvements, play fair, and you 
will find that it pays. 

"LET GEORGE DO IT" 

As responsibilities increase one learns that he cannot 
do everything himself and is obliged to choose subordi- 
nates to carry out his ideas. He must often delegate not 
only the execution of his plans to others, but must relegate 
his authority as well. Hence the need of developing the 
power to read character, to understand human nature, to 
perceive the possibilities, the special aptitudes in those 
who are to act as our extended selves. 

To be a success yourself you must know how to make 
successes of other people; how to draw out their best, 
and place them where they will work to best advantage. 
"Now" is the time to qualify for such leadership by 
studying your neighbors, your associates; the men who 
are now making history, as well as those who have been 
history-makers in the past. Good novels are an aid to 



136 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

character study. They help to train the capacity to put 
yourself in another person's place and see things from 
his viewpoint. Many of the splendid old fairytales have 
survived because of certain human traits they embody, 
and which may have a lesson for you today. 

The involuntary performance of their functions by 
heart, lungs, and liver, leaves the brain free to superin- 
tend other activities as it would not be, if we had to 
direct the beating of the heart, and personally conduct 
the food through the digestive canal. 

So, by acquiring certain habits of body and mind, till 
they do accustomed work mechanically, we set them free 
for more important labors. How easily the typist fol- 
lows her stenographic notes, when once her fingers be- 
come so skilful they find the keys instinctively! "Let 
George do it," the brain says of those activities which it 
relegates to the mechanism of the body. Thus, too, the 
successful, efficient man must learn when, where and 
how, to delegate some of his responsibilities to others. 
In other words, "to let George do it." 

Let him continue to originate, to direct, to superintend, 
but also to study his assistants, in order to know the 
capacities of each, and where they can best be employed. 

The great statesman, the great general, the great busi- 
ness man, knows men, and where to place those who are 
specially adapted to carry out the details of a complex 
organization. 

The successful person must have the open mind, which 
recognizes merit and capacity wherever found ; and which 
is ready to receive new ideas and enlightenment from all 
sources. 

If George knows how to do it better than you do, take 



EFFICIENCY THROUGH SELF-DEVELOPMENT 137 

advantage of his proficiency, but see that his ability is 
duly recognized. 

The great lesson the world must learn in the next few 
years, if civilization is to succeed, is co-operation. 
Leaders and subordinates must work in intelligent har- 
mony. But small organizations and groups must practice 
it successfully before larger groups can be articulated. 
Companies have evolved into corporations and these into 
trusts; they are practicing working together; unions are 
practicing it also. In time practice will make perfect. 

As responsibilities increase one must develop still more 
intensely one's powers of concentration, for not one 
ounce of physical or of mental strength or moment of 
time must be wasted. We must concentrate in order that 
we may thereby win the necessary moments for relax- 
ation and recuperation. 

SELF-ANALYSIS AND SELF-CULTURE 

Now, before we concentrate our forces, for power, 
for success, it is well to analyze ourselves with a spiritual 
prism, as it were ; to study our mental and physical equip- 
ment, our aptitudes and our shortcomings, that we may 
know just where to focus our attention with most effec- 
tive results. 

We need also, to analyze our occupation, our business, 
its special advantages and its present deficiencies, in order 
to know where to concentrate our efforts. 

First, as the substratum of all, what is our physical 
condition ? Do we awake each morning, glad to be alive, 
vigorous in body, breathing apparatus in good order, di- 
gestion perfect, teeth effective, skin clean, senses normal ? 
Or are we defective in some of these respects? Subject 



138 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

to colds, to tuberculosis, breath disagreeable, stomach on 
strike, skin eruptive, or one or more senses deficient in 
power? Having thus, as did Benjamin Franklin, taken 
account of stock, how shall we proceed to bring ourselves 
up to par? For latent in all, is the desire, and a praise- 
worthy one, to be physically perfect. To be fine and 
attractive in appearance as well as in fact. To radiate a 
wholesome atmosphere, so that all within its influence are 
buoyed up and refreshed by the ozone we carry with us. 
This makes for success in any career, and success in the 
highest meaning of that term. 

If subject to colds, influenza, and the like, that is be- 
cause you have not assumed the mastery over your lungs. 
Man can live a long time deprived of solid food; a shorter 
period without water, but deprived of air, death soon 
follows. Good health depends in large degree upon the 
lungs doing their full duty; they will do it if you concen- 
trate your attention upon them for a brief time daily. 
The enemy germs that impair the lungs, the throat, the 
bronchial tubes, must be permitted no lodgment. In 
what consists "preparedness"? Frequent exercises in 
deep breathing. 

If you feel that a cold is getting a foothold, then sev- 
eral times a day, and just before retiring, take ten or 
more deep, full breaths, through the nostrils, very slowly, 
expiring the breath as slowly. Do this faithfully, and the 
fell germs will be unable to gain a hold. 

Sedentary people are likely to suffer from constipation, 
liver and other disorders of the digestive system. Such 
benefit, also, by taking muscular exercises, and by proper 
diet, rather than by acquiring the nostrum habit. 

Plenty of cold water, or hot, taken internally, is better 
than cod liver oil. Prunes, and oranges, and apples, are 



EFFICIENCY THROUGH SELF-DEVELOPMENT 139 

likewise more acceptable. We were brought up on the 
maxim that fruit for breakfast saved the doctor's bills, 
and are ready to bear witness to its truth. 

If you really mean to succeed in life, think over the 
list of things which you. can eat with benefit, and eliminate 
from your diet those which harm and decrease your 
working power; alcoholic drinks and tobacco should be 
discarded by most men. A few may use them without 
detriment to themselves, but their children are like to 
suffer from inherited weakness of body or will power. 

Those whose occupations are sedentary, such as typists, 
editors, and the like, should make occasions for walking 
at least part way to business ; should find luncheon places 
at some distance from their offices, and should not do all 
their ball-playing vicariously, by reading the scores in 
the papers, but should themselves become players of base- 
ball, golf or even the tame croquet. Our English brothers 
set us an example in this respect. The enforced standing 
in the cars en route to and from business is for such, 
not an unmixed evil; regard it as an opportunity to ex- 
ercise the muscles of leg and arm. 

Arnold Bennett, in "How to live on 24 Hours a Day," 
suggests that en route to business in the morning, the 
man read his newspaper; but on returning, in the even- 
ing, utilize the time for meditation and reflection ; or for 
reading some book of standard value. Excellent advice; 
the average American does not use his reflective faculties 
any too much, and often exercises his eyes more than he 
should, reading fine print, in the jolting cars. 

Make your employment a means of self-culture, 
whether you are a bookkeeper, home-maker, manufac- 
turer, laborer, eook, or what not. Every trade has a 
history of its origin and development ; — read and become 



140 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 



familiar with it, and enrich your mind and imagination 
to that extent ; there is poetry even for the laundress, in 
the pages of Homer, who describes so charmingly how the 
Princess Nausicaa goes with her maidens to wash her 
clothes in the stream, and discovers the hero Ulysses. 

Such riches none can take away from you, whether 
employer or employee. 

The Labor Museum at Hull House, Chicago, exempli- 
fies how one's occupation, however mechanical, may be 
made a point of departure for broadening culture. In 
this interesting place, an Assyrian woman can be seen 
spinning with the hand spindle her ancestors used for 
ages past ; the Italian immigrant is perhaps using one she 
used in the fatherland; an Irish grandmother is whirling 
the wheel used by her forebears when spinning the flax, 
and thus these folk from various countries are enabled 
to see how each had a similar problem to face and the 
different methods by which each solved it, and the evolu- 
tion of spinning is learned from the most simple of spin- 
dles, to one just a little more involved, and to the great 
step forward when the wheel was invented, the successive 
steps culminating in the complex machine of today. 
Women also bring here the warp and woof which, with 
various kinds of handlooms, they weave into rugs and 
other household necessities. Books are to be had giving 
the history and development of different industries, and 
occasional lectures are given. Thus, the foreign women, 
homesick, strangers in a land strange and fearfully mod- 
ern, see for themselves the links which bind them to the 
present and the long distant past; they learn the poetic 
and cultural side of an everyday industry, and their chil- 
dren learn that their parents have a knowledge and skill 
which deserves admiration and respect. 



EFFICIENCY THROUGH SELF-DEVELOPMENT 141 

Insurance, bookkeeping, banking, blacksmithing, all 
have their histories, their heroes. A volume has even 
been written upon famous shoemakers, of whom dear 
old Hans Sachs is not the least. 

Such knowledge enlarges the personal self ; it gives to 
you the power summed up in the fine lives of all those 
who followed the same trade and profession. The busi- 
ness conventions of today do this for you to some ex- 
tent also; but though helpful in the exchange of ideas, 
and through meeting with one's fellows, their cultural 
value is not so great as that given by the history and 
literature of your occupation. 

We will close this section by suggesting that to suc- 
ceed, you should take at least one journal representing 
your business, and should occasionally at least attend the 
conventions of the same, that the personal self may not 
loom too large. You are a part; the whole is greater 
than any of its parts. Be open-minded tc learn of others. 

I AM 

No name given the Deity seems so pregnant with mean 
ing and possibilities of development as that which the 
old legend tells us was revealed to Moses from the midst 
of the burning bush, "I AM that I AM." The present 
sums up all of the past and contains within itself the 
germ of all the future. "I AM"— "That was, that is, 
that evermore shall be." 

The present minute is for each one the center of all 
time, as each soul is the center of the universe. What 
important events may not turn upon this pivot I 

"Now is the accepted time." Do you accept it or do 
you pass it by? 



142 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

You are the seed of the future, or rather, resemble 
the acorn, which bears within its tiny seed the innumer- 
able oak-trees of a long long past, and carries also the 
possibilities of a long line of future trees. To accomp- 
lish its task it must utilize every moment and every ele- 
ment that will enable it to cope with its rivals, and to 
develop its own individuality. 

Now is the fertile soil of the past. It contains all the 
rich elements from which every day life may draw 
sustenance. You are the fruit of that past, and the seed- 
corn of the future, and are, at the same time, the gar- 
dener. What will the gardener make of the seed? 

Now is the time to co-operate with the I AM. 

Put yourself at-one-ment with the ever-present 
"Power that makes for Righteousness/' so that with 
Jesus, you can say "I and my Father are one"; with all 
reverence and decision, and the soul grows rich in po- 
tential energy, that makes for true success. 

"I am an acme of things accomplished, and I am en- 
closer of things to be. 

* * * * 

Rise after rise bow the phantoms before me, 
Afar down I see the huge first Nothing, I know I was 

even there, 
I waited unseen and always, and slept through the 

lethargic mist, 
And took my time, and took no hurt from the fetid 

carbon. 
Long I was hugged close — long and long. 
Immense have been the preparations for me, 
All forces have been steadily employ'd to complete and 

delight me, 
Now on this spot I stand with my robust soul." 



EFFICIENCY THROUGH SELF-DEVELOPMENT 143 

Read these wonderful lines slowly, thoughtfully. In 
a few carefully chosen words, the poet epitomizes the 
gradual evolution of life, from the first lowly beginnings 
to the point when he can exclaim triumphantly, 

"Here I stand with my robust soul!" 

Can you repeat it with him ? Can I ? 

I AM ! I am here today because millions of uncounted 
ancestral lives were stronger, or braver, or cleverer, or 
more ingenious, more aspiring, more outreaching, more 
farsighted than others that struggled toward the same 
goal. Because they toiled, and struggled, and sacrificed, 
I am here today. 

Am I (we reverse the positions of the two words) am 
I worthy of the struggles, the sacrifices? If not, why 
not? 

Do I possess a robust soul, ready to face the future, 
in faith and love? A mind prepared to cope with every 
emergency? A body, beautiful, and under perfect 
control ? 

Perhaps you reply, but my ancestors were not all 
noble, nor vigorous, nor self-controlled, nor normal; 
either in body, mind or soul. They have handed on to 
me all manner of evil or weakening tendencies. My soul 
is not robust. I fear the dark ; I dread the future. 

Admitted. But nevertheless, the fact that you ARE 
HERE, NOW, proves that in many respects you are fit — 
it rests with you whether you survive or not. 

W. G. Gannett well says, would you believe that your 
soul is immortal, begin from this day to live like an im- 
mortal being, and the faith will finally become yours. 

Whatever the frailties you may inherit, you are now, 



144 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

"an acme of things accomplished." It remains for you 
to go forward, from the point where you now stand. The 
mere fact that you want to go forward, is a warrant that 
you can. You may have had a drunkard for a grand- 
father, and a consumptive for a grandmother, but science 
still disputes just what traits and tendencies are or are 
not inheritable, and anyway, you had eight great-grand- 
parents, from whom to inherit counteracting qualities. 
Think on these things and not on the negative traits. 
Cast yourself loose from all thought of weakening in- 
heritances, concentrate your attention on the qualities 
you wish to establish in your own character, and though 
you take only one step at a time, each step brings you 
nearer the summit. The forces for good are more potent 
than the forces of evil, and have been, all through the 
centuries, or man would not be where he stands today, 
and say what we will about the wrongs and cruelties of 
our own period, we have but to read the histories of other 
times to realize, that though the ideal society is still far 
ahead of us, we have made a good deal of progress since 
the beginning of things. 

Take advantage of this thought, and determine to be- 
come a factor in the onward march. Nothing helps one 
so much in the overcoming of faults and weaknesses as 
the sense of responsibility to others. You may not owe 
a debt to posterity, but you do owe one to all those of the 
past and those of the present who have helped to make 
this world as livable as it is. Join your forces to theirs, 
and you will be surprised to see how your own powers 
ivill increase in potency. You are the inheritor of the 
past. Noblesse oblige. Whether you inherit gold, or 
calent, or genius, or leisure, or health, or simply the 
opportunities for work and self -improvement, and reli- 
gious liberty, won by your forefathers, think of your 



EFFICIENCY THROUGH SELF-DEVELOPMENT 145 

privileges and your responsibilities, concentrate yourself 
on fulfilling your obligations, and you will succeed in 
growing to a higher stature in mind and spirit, and that 
constitutes success. 

Our indebtedness to the past is thus beautifully ex- 
pressed by Julia C. R. Dorr in an inspiring hymn : 



146 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 



INSURANCE. 

Insurance is a contract according to which one party 
agrees to compensate another party in event of loss by 
death, fire, perils at sea or like risk, by payment of a 
specified sum, in return for an agreed consideration paid 
by the one insured. 

The principal terms used in insurance include the fol- 
lowing : 
Risk — The peril insured against, as of death, fire, water, 

theft. 
Beneficiary — The person to whom the money is to be 
paid in event of loss; sometimes the beneficiary and 
the insured are the same person. 
The Insured — The person whose life or property is cov- 
ered by a policy of insurance. 
The Insurer — The person or company who agrees to 

make the payment to the insured. 
Policy — The printed document containing the contract, 

and given to the insured. 
Premium — The consideration for which an insurance 
company agrees to pay the indemnity in case of loss. 
Maturity — The completion of the time for which a policy 
is to run. Usually a year for fire insurance. For life 
or twenty years, or other stated time, with life insur- 
ance. 

The insuring company can afford to pay agreed indem- 
nities, because it derives an income from the careful in- 
vestment of premiums, and because the averages of fire or 



INSURANCE 147 



other accidents is small compared to the amount of money- 
paid in premiums. Premium amounts are based upon the 
laws of averages, which are sufficiently reliable to make 
modern insurance absolutely safe if the insurance com- 
pany officials are men of integrity and good judgment. 

LIFE INSURANCE. 

In Life Insurance, the insurer agrees to pay the bene- 
ficiary a stipulated sum upon the death of the insured, 
in consideration of a specified premium, which is usually 
paid in periodical sums, although it is sometimes paid in 
a gross amount. In endowment policies the agreement is 
to pay a certain sum to the insured himself if he lives to a 
specified time (usually twenty years) or if he dies, to 
some beneficiary named. 

In applying for life insurance, if the insured may have 
concealed any fact of material importance, or have wil- 
fully made false misrepresentations the policy may be 
voided by the insurer. If engaged in any especially haz- 
ardous employment, the insured must make this known. 
The applicant must give truthful answers regarding age, 
health, occupation, and habits. It is easy to understand 
that if many persons in ill-health, or pre-disposed to an 
early death, or engaged in the making of explosives, falsi- 
fied their statements in hopes of securing their relatives 
in event of their own death, the insurance companies 
might have payments to make out of proportion to their 
assets. The law, however, if differences of opinion arise, 
is usually generous in construing a contract in favor of 
the insured, as the paper is written by the other party. 

A paid-up life insurance policy is one on which no 
more annual payments are due. The insured has paid in 
full all that is expected of him. 



148 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

The insured may sometimes find it desirable to assign 
a policy. He may usually do this, for a consideration, 
if he is himself the beneficiary, without the consent of the 
insurance company, unless specially forbidden by statute 
or the policy itself. But if he is not his own beneficiary 
it is held that the insured can not assign without the 
consent of the company. If assigned as security for a 
debt, the creditor can recover the whole amount of the 
insurance but may retain only the amount of his debt. 

In nearly all insurance the one taking out insurance 
must have an insurable interest in the life or property 
insured. Insurable interest has been defined as "a connec- 
tion between two lives, which terminated by the death of 
one, means financial loss to the other — the one said to 
possess the insurable interest. The dollars and cents in- 
terest of one person in the life of another" 

FIRE INSURANCE 

Fire Insurance is a written agreement or contract by 
which the insurer contracts to -indemnify the insured 
against loss or damage by fire to certain specified prop- 
erty, within a certain period of time . 

The Insurance may be Open or Valued. In open in- 
surance the liability is decided according to the amount 
of the actual loss. In valued insurance a certain valuation 
is fixed which is the limit of the insurer's liability. 

The policy may be repudiated by the company insur- 
ing, if there be any misrepresentations discovered or con- 
cealment of fact by the insured which is material to the 
risk. 

The policy usually enumerates the articles covered by 
the contract, and also names the uninsurable and excepted 



INSURANCE 149 



items such as bills, currency, dies, deeds, manuscripts, 
mechanical drawings, etc. 

It names the conditions whose violation renders the 
contract void, such as : any essential increase of the risk 
by the insured, which is within his control or knowledge ; 
the keeping on the premises of such hazardous articles as 
benzine, fireworks, etc., unless otherwise agreed to in 
writing, except in small quantities for ordinary consump- 
tion; the making repairs or alterations without consent 
of the company; leaving the premises vacant beyond a 
specified period of time, etc. A policy usually prohibits 
insurance of the same property by another company with- 
out the consent of the insurer. 

If the property be sold this voids the rights of the in- 
sured although the policy may usually be assigned with 
the consent of the company. 

Fire insurance policies naturally contain provisions re- 
quiring notice of loss or damage be sent in writing to the 
company. The insured is expected to protect the prop- 
erty from further damage; put it in order; furnish an 
inventory of the property, damaged, undamaged and de- 
stroyed, stating quantity and cost and amount claimed 
thereon, etc., rendering to the company within a stipu- 
lated number of days after the fire, a signed and sworn 
proof of loss, with specified details about the fire, its 
time, origin, etc. 

In case the insured and the company fail to agree about 
the amount of damages, a competent, disinterested ap- 
praiser is usually selected according to stipulations named 
in the contract. 

The amount to be recovered is determined by the actual 
market value of the property insured. If there has only 
been a partial destruction the company often reserves the 



150 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

option of paying the damage or of repairing and rebuild- 
ing, within a reasonable time, with other material of like 
kind and quality. 

The company sometimes retains the right of subroga- 
tion — that is, if the insured has a claim against any party 
for loss or damage, the company may require an assign- 
ment of all right of recovery to the extent that payment 
thereof is made by the company. 

Before taking out a fire insurance policy its terms 
should be read carefully and each condition clearly 
understood. 

ACCIDENT INSURANCE. 

Accident Insurance is a contract to pay a stated con- 
sideration or indemnity to the insured in event of personal 
injury or loss of life due to accident, occurring within 
a specified period of time and under certain specified 
conditions. Death or disability due to ordinary disease 
does not come within the meaning of the term "accident." 
Accident, in such a contract, is presumed to be an event 
out of the common, external, violent, due to some unusual, 
unforeseen cause. Suicide, death by taking poison, or in- 
haling gas, etc., may or may not be regarded as accidental 
according to circumstances — thus, if death ensue from the 
intentional taking of poison, that is not accident; but if the 
poison were taken under the impression that it was some 
medicine, that would be considered as an accident. 

One common form of accident insurance is traveler's 
accident insurance, which is taken when buying a railway 
or steamboat ticket and is good for the period of the 
journey. 

Another kind limits the company's liability to accidents 
occurring during the hours of employment. 

Compensation for injury may be paid by a fixed sum 



INSURANCE 151 



if the effects of the accident be permanent. Or a certain 
sum may be paid weekly until recovery. The victim of 
an accident should beware of falling into the hands of 
shyster lawyers and of signing impulsively any paper 
some urgent agent may offer for his signature. 

Proofs of injury or death must be sent to the insuring 
company in the manner and within the period designated 
in the policy, unless the company waive such proofs, 
either explicitly or implicitly. Some policies require writ- 
ten notice to the insurer of an accident to the insured 
with full details. Such requirement must be complied 
with. There is sometimes difference of opinion between 
the insured and the insurer, as to liability in case of an 
accident especially if there be any ambiguity in the word- 
ing of the contract. Hence, before taking out a policy 
the applicant must read with care and fully understand, 
if possible, the purport of the paper which he thinks of 
signing. In case, however, of misunderstanding, the 
courts are inclined to put a liberal construction upon the 
terms of the contract, in favor of the insured, since he 
was not the one who wrote the paper. 

In accident insurance the applicant himself is usually 
the beneficiary; in New York State, however, a wife may 
insure against a loss disabling her husband, and an em- 
ployer may take out a policy covering his employees col- 
lectively for the benefit of such as may be injured. 

PLATE GLASS INSURANCE. 

In insuring Plate Glass the number and size (height 
and width) of the panes must be stated, and the location 
and description ; the period of time covered, and to whom 
the insurance is to be paid, whether to the insured or to 
assigns. 



152 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

Among the conditions considered in case of breakage, 
are — the value of the glass at the time and whether the 
breakage was beyond the control of the insured. 

The company must receive immediate notification of all 
particulars, with statement of the cause, so far as can 
be determined. It is understood that the insured must 
use all reasonable precautions to prevent breakage and 
allow employees ^to take necessary measures to preserve 
glass from further breakage, loss or damage. 

The removal and replacing of frames, fixtures, or other 
obstructions to replacing of glass must be done at the 
expense of the insured. 

The company usually retains the option of paying the 
actual value of the glass broken or of replacing the glass, 
without unnecessary delay. The broken glass belongs to 
the company. 

Among the causes frequently not covered by insurance 
are, breakage caused by fire, earthquake, etc., riot, con- 
struction or demolition of buildings ; accidents to frames, 
repairs, etc., or those due to removal or storage, or while 
being glazed. 

AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE. 

An automobile is so complex a risk, and subject to so 
many kinds of accident, that all of these are not always 
covered in one contract and the insured must be cautious 
that all the possibilities which he has in mind are actually 
covered. 

Among the perils against which he may insure are fire 
and lightning, stranding, collision, derailment, theft, rob- 
bery and pilferage, while in transit. 

Excluded from insurance unless specially named, are 



INSURANCE 153 



usually, loss to robes, personal effects, extra bodies, and 
damage caused by war, usurped power, riot, etc. 

In case of accident, in order to receive the amount 
stipulated the insured must give notice and proof of loss. 
There must have been protection of salvage as far as pos- 
sible; every possible opportunity for appraisal must be 
given and in case of disagreement an umpire is chosen. 

If misrepresentation or fraud is discovered the policy 
may be cancelled. 

In Automobile Insurance as with Fire Insurance we meet 
with what is known as subrogation of Rights — that is to 
say, the substitution of one creditor for another. The 
Insuring company, will pay the victim of an accident an 
agreed sum, for which the injured party surrenders his 
claim to possible damages, which the Company then pro- 
ceeds to secure in its own behalf. 

MARINE INSURANCE. 

England has for so long been a great maritime nation,, 
that her experience has developed the principles for ma- 
rine insurance upon which rests in the main the insurance 
code of the United States. 

Marine Insurance is a contract to indemnify the in- 
sured against loss from risks at sea. 

Such is the nature of the risks at sea, that good faith 
and confidence on the part of both parties to the contract 
are essential to an established marine insurance business. 
It is absolutely understood that both parties are bound to 
disclose facts material to the risk, that the other party 
should know. When marine insurance is applied for it is 
implied by the insured that the ship is seaworthy. 

Included in the subject matter of marine insurance may 



154 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

be the ship itself, the cargo, freight for carrying goods, 
advances on bottomry, and respondentia bonds, expected 
profits on goods, or on the expected commissions. A 
respondentia bond is not necessarily always covered by 
insurance on goods. A bond for a loan secured by the 
cargo of a ship, is a respondentia bond. 

As in marine insurance the "risk" insured is not a 
stationary object, but moves from port to port, and the 
insurance is good only for a specified voyage, it is neces- 
sary that it be clearly understood just at what time and 
place the contract begins and ends, and that the ship shall 
not be left uncovered by insurance at any time — all such 
points are dealt with in the detailed law upon the matter, 
under the terms at and from a. port. 

Among the perils insured against are those of nature or 
the elements; perils arising from the actions of persons 
on board the insured vessel (barratry, jettison, etc.) ; 
perils arising from the action of persons not on board the 
vessel (pirates, thieves, surprisals, letters of mart and 
countermart, etc.). 

Among those regarded as having an insurable interest 
are, the ship owners, mortgagees, masters, seamen, char- 
terers, consignees, agents, factors, and those who bor- 
row or lend on bottomry or respondentia. 

The code that has been developed with the growth 
of marine insurance is so complex, owing to the peculiar 
hazards to which ship and cargo are subjected, that it 
can not be condensed into very short space. 

While the phrase "perils at sea" usually includes acci- 
dents due to storms, shoals, rapids, floating logs or dere- 
licts, changes of climate, sea animals, and other dangers 
met with only at sea, an injury due to defective machin- 
ery, as an explosion of a steam boiler is not regarded by 



INSURANCE 155 



marine insurance law as a sea peril. Such an accident 
may happen to a boiler in a land factory. 

If an applicant for marine insurance conceals the na- 
tional character of the insured; the liability of the in- 
sured property to capture and detention; the liability to 
seizure from breach of foreign laws of trade; the want 
of necessary documents ; and the use of false papers, such 
concealment may not make the entire contract void, but 
it releases the insurance company from a loss resulting 
from the risk concealed. 

In marine insurance a warranty is implied that the ship 
is seaworthy — this term meaning, reasonably fit to fulfil 
the functions of a ship and to meet the ordinary dangers 
incident to the voyage contemplated by the parties to the 
contract. A warranty of seaworthiness implies the sea- 
worthiness of the ship itself, and also its proper lading, 
its command by a competent master, sufficient officers 
und seamen, requisite appurtenances, equipment, etc., in- 
cluding sails, cordage, ballast, food, fuel, water, lights, 
etc. 

If a ship become unseaworthy during a voyage, an un- 
reasonable delay in making repairs will relieve the insur- 
ance company from liability. 

Seaworthiness as a vessel does not imply seaworthiness 
in regard to cargo unless properly equipped and properly 
commanded and manned, etc. 

To deviate too much from the course of the voyage for 
which the policy was made out, may exonerate the insur- 
ance company from liability. Deviation as defined by law, 
may be a departure from the course of the voyage, or an 
unusual delay in pursuing the voyage, or the commence- 
ment of an entirely different voyage. If the deviation 
be occasioned by circumstances over which neither master 



156 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

nor owner have control, or when necessary to comply 
with a warranty, or to avoid a peril at sea, or when made 
in good faith to avoid a peril to ship or cargo, or when 
made in good faith to save human life or relieve another 
ship in distress, such deviation is justifiable and does not 
relieve the insuring company. 

A deviation is a voluntary and inexcusable departure 
from the usual course, and this is determined by consid- 
eration of the motives, consequences, and circumstances 
of the act. 

A person insured by marine insurance may abandon the 
thing insured or any particular portion separately valued 
by the policy and recover for a total loss when the cause 
of the loss is a peril insured against under the following 
cases: (i) If more than half in value is actually lost; 
or would have to be expended to recover it from the peril. 
(2) If the property is injured to such an extent as to 
reduce its value more than one-half; (3) and in other 
cases. Having abandoned a vessel, in order to claim the 
full amount of insurance, the insured relinquishes all right 
to the property. An abandonment once made and ac- 
cepted is irrevocable, unless it is learned that the ground 
upon which it was made was unfounded. 



BANKING 157 



BANKING. 

A Bank is an institution or corporation, other than a 
trust company, for the custody, loan, exchange or dis- 
count of money or the issue of or discount of promissory 
notes, drafts, etc. 

Banking is the business of operating a bank. 

A Banker is one engaged in banking, receiving and 
transmitting money, negotiating bills of exchange, etc. 

A banking-house is the place where banking is con- 
ducted. 

A bank-bill is a note or bill of exchange of a bank 
payable on demand or at a future specified time. 

A bank-note is a promissory note issued by a legally 
authorized bank payable on demand, and forming part 
of the money currency. 

Bank-credit is the amount a person, on giving proper 
security, is allowed to draw upon a bank. 

History — Modern banking slightly antedates the dis- 
covery of America, being traced back to the money deal- 
ers of Lombardy, who used benches (banco) in the 
market-places for the exchange of money. When an 
exchanger (or in our parlance, banker) failed, his bench 
was broken by the populace, whence comes our word 
bankrupt. 

In the United States there are several kinds of banks 
in the commercial sense, i. e., banks of deposit, banks of 
discount and of circulation. Two or three of these func- 
tions may all be exercised by the same corporation, but 



158 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

some banks of deposit have no authority to make dis- 
counts or issue a circulating medium. 

Then again, there are other classifications of banks, 
such as national, state and savings-banks; and private 
banks. 

Every corporation and individual banker is subject 
to the inspection and supervision of the State Superin- 
tendent of Banks, who in person, or through his deputies, 
must visit every bank at least twice a year. 

National Banks in the United States have to a certain 
extent the backing of Congress. The national bank act 
authorizes the manner of conducting the business, and 
directs their inspection by government bank examiners. 
To form a national bank it is incumbent for the associa- 
tion so purposing to deposit with the Treasurer of the 
United States bonds of the United States Government, 
in return for which the comptroller of the currency 
gives circulating notes equal to the par value of those 
bonds. Another provision is that the total amount of the 
notes issued by any such association shall not at any time 
exceed the amount of the capital stock actually paid in. 

State Banks perform the same functions as national 
banks except that of issuing notes. They are organized 
under State laws, and are subject twice a year to inspec- 
tion by State examiners. 

In order to open an account with a bank it is necessary 
to be introduced by some responsible person to an officer 
of the institution. Before a bank opens an account with 
a person it wants to be assured that his credit is good; 
that he will not withdraw what he deposits within so short 
a time as to embarrass it, and that he will not make such 
frequent withdrawals as to require unreasonable clerical 
work. 



BANKING 159 



This is perhaps more likely to be the case with women 
who make deposits in savings-banks. They will often 
deposit a small amount for safe-keeping and then make 
withdrawals of small amounts at short intervals, at ex- 
pense of time, trouble and patience to the long-suffering 
tellers. 

Upon introduction, the depositor is asked to write his 
signature and address, and perhaps for further identifica- 
tion a few other items may be asked, as the age, birth- 
place, names of parents, etc. 

The signature should be that in daily use, with at least 
one of the Christian names written in full, and the hand- 
writing should be very plain. There are many H. Greens 
in the world, and if Henry or Harold or Hugh be written 
in full one possibility of mistake is eliminated. You do 
not want another Green to get the money meant for you. 

Then always remember how you have signed your name 
for the bank and when endorsing a check, sign it that 
way. If a check has mistakenly been made out to Mary 
Reed, when it should have been written Marie Reed, it 
must be endorsed on the back as written on the face, 
followed by the name correctly spelled. If you yourself 
make a mistake in writing a check, do not erase or alter, 
but destroy that check and write another one. It is im- 
portant to indorse checks correctly for more checks are 
returned "unpaid* because of irregular indorsements than 
for any other reason. In the interval required to make 
the error good, the drawer may die, become bankrupt or 
countermand payment, or may have overdrawn his ac- 
count and "no funds" are available. 

A check should be deposited as soon as possible after 
its receipt; if much time elapses the funds back of it may 



160 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

be withdrawn and the payee will receive a notice to the 
effect "no funds." 

Making a Deposit. — When a deposit is to be made 
a deposit slip is given with blanks to be filled out by 
depositor and teller. The name should be written exactly 
as when originally written for the bank when introduced. 
The amounts should be written plainly, opposite the 
words, gold, silver, checks, etc. In entering checks the 
name of the bank and of the town on which it is drawn 
should be stated. Some banks, when a check is deposited, 
ask that the depositor's address be written thereon. And 
when a withdrawal is made, in addition to the signature, 
the address is sometimes asked. 

To simplify and expedite matters for the teller, the 
bills should be straightened out, with the face uppermost, 
those of the same denomination put together. Gold and 
silver should also be thus classified if in large amounts. 
In case the deposit is very large it is customary to put the 
money in packages, labeled, each one, with the amount 
and the address of the depositor. 

In endorsing check, write the name across the back, 
about one inch from the left edge. This space enables the 
teller to handle it easily without hiding the signature. 

Statements should be made the last of the month. The 
checks should be arranged according to dates, and then 
compared with stubs in check-book. Thus one can 
quickly see if the account has been correctly balanced, 
and make sure that it has not been overdrawn. 

If necessary to stop payment on a check, inform the 
paying teller of the number, amount, date and name of the 
person to whom the check had been made payable. If 
this message be phoned it should be followed at once by 
an order in writing. After the bank has made an ex- 



BANKING 161 



amination and informs you that this particular check has 
not been paid, it will be safe to issue a duplicate check, 
but across this duplicate, the word "duplicate" must be 
written and the bank must be informed that you are 
drawing the second one. 

Payment, however, cannot be stopped on a certified 
check. When a bank certifies a check, it becomes re- 
sponsible for its payment. The cashier writes or stamps 
across its face, usually in red ink, the word "certified," 
his own signature, and the date. When a check is certified 
the bank deducts it at once from the depositor's account. 

In making out a check the figures should be placed 
close to the dollar sign to prevent the possible insertion 
of other figures. The written statement of the sum 
should begin close to the left-hand margin, and if space 
happens to be left after writing the amount, a line should 
be drawn after it to prevent the insertion of other words, 
that might increase the statement of the amount of the 
check. 

A Promissory Note is an absolute promise in writing to 
pay on demand or within a certain time specified therein, 
a certain sum of money, to bearer or to a certain person 
or order. 

A Certificate of Deposit is a written acknowledgment 
by a bank that it has received from the person named 
the deposit of a stated sum of money payable to his order. 
Such deposits differ from the usual bank deposit in that 
they are not entered on the passbook, and will be paid only 
upon the surrender of the certificate, properly endorsed. 

When a check is not accepted or paid when due, it 
goes to protest. That is to say, if the maker, who is 
primarily liable for it, does not honor it, all of those who 
have endorsed it or drawn it on another person are in- 



162 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

formed of that fact, either through the bank itself or 
through a notary. The endorser is held responsible by 
the bank, not only for the amount of the paper itself, but 
for the cost of protest. For this he must hope to receive 
reimbursement from the maker of the note. It sometimes 
happens that a check goes to protest because the maker 
has unwittingly overdrawn his account, and is eager to 
make this good for sake of his credit. But the penalty 
of thus overdrawing an account is the fee for protest. 

One great service rendered by banks for their customers 
is the collection of all kinds of negotiable paper, such as 
draf-ts, notes, etc., which they will do for a small com- 
mission, notifying the payer a short time before the notes 
fall due. 

MERCANTILE CREDITS. 

Business has grown so complex and one business man 
may have so many customers and his business so many 
ramifications that it is necessary to employ one man, 
the so-called "credit man," whose sole concern it is to 
investigate the commercial standing, the business credit 
of new patrons and buyers. 

Business has long ceased to be conducted by the simple 
exchange of money, for goods, and as the credit system 
developed it stimulated labor, industry and commerce 
to grow by leaps and bounds, adding still further to the 
complexities of modern commerce. Indeed, in transac- 
tions of any size it is seldom that there is a transfer of 
money from purchaser to buyer. 

OPEN BOOK ACCOUNT SYSTEM. 
There are several methods of transacting business on 
credit, the most common system being that known as the 
Open Book Account System. The buyer places an order 



MERCANTILE CREDITS 163 

for merchandise which the seller fills, relying upon the 
promise and ability of the buyer to pay for the property 
at some future date, often the promise being merely im- 
plied, and often no definite promise to pay. 

Where salesmen are employed the buyer's written 
order is usually obtained, showing the terms of the sale, 
a copy of the signed order being left with the buyer. 
If the character of the business makes it impractical to 
obtain vvntten orders, or when a written order is received 
by mail, the order should be acknowledged in writing so 
that there is no misunderstanding as to what is to be 
shipped and that the buyer's attention may be called to 
any discrepancy. A shipping ticket or a charge ticket is 
then made up, from which the goods are shipped, an 
invoice being mailed to the customer. A statement of 
account is rendered on the first of the month. The buyer 
should check over the statement, and if correct, pay the 
amount shown, this usually being done by check or draft. 

It is a remarkable tribute to the good faith of human 
nature and belief in our fellow beings that there are not 
more losses in business under this loose system of open 
book account credits. 

TRADE ACCEPTANCE. 

A Trade Acceptance, as defined by the Federal Re- 
serve Board, is a draft or bill of exchange drawn by the 
seller on the purchaser of goods sold, and accepted 5y 
such purchaser. Trade Acceptance forms can be obtained 
at any stationers. 

The acceptor promises to pay at maturity the sum 
stated ; if he fails to do so, it may be protested. 

As will be seen, the acceptor's obligation arises not 



164 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

from an indefinite "for value received" but settlement of 
the purchase of goods as billed in invoice. 

The chief advantage of a Trade Acceptance is, tnat 
in case of dispute it saves the seller the necessity of going 
to court to prove his case. He shows the signed Trade 
Acceptance as evidence. 

A Trade Acceptance differs from a promissory note in 
that it is limited to current merchandise transactions. It 
is not to be given for borrowed money or past due 
obligations. 

Acceptance Procedure. — When making shipment to the 
buyer, the seller sends with the invoice an acceptance 
form, into which has been written the date of the invoice, 
the date of maturity and the net amount of the invoice. 
If he does not wish to avail himself of the cash discount 
he is expected to sign and date the acceptance, designat- 
ing the bank where payable, and return it to the seller 
within the ten-day period. 



MAKING A WILL 165 



MAKING A WILL. 

"Men, dying, make their wills, but wives 
Escape a work so sad; 

Why should they make, what all their lives, 
The gentle dames have had." 

— Saxe. 

It is a strange fact, an anomaly, that many persons, 
otherwise practical, fearless, far-sighted and provident, 
fail to realize the importance of making a will, thereby 
making explicit disposal of their property, and thus oft- 
times saving their family from want and embarrassment, 
and providing that only those shall inherit whom they 
wish to inherit. Many are delinquent in this respect 
through some old, often sub-conscious superstition, that 
making a will shortens life. But failure to do so is a de- 
linquency, and all who have property to bestow whether 
personal, real, or mixed, should either dispose of it while 
still in this life, or should take the little trouble required 
to bequeath in legal form, thus preventing future misun- 
derstanding and litigation. 

In most states there are two kinds of wills recognized 
— a nuncupative will and a will signed by a testator and 
by attesting witnesses. 

The former can be made only by a soldier while in 
active military service, in expectation of immediate death, 
or by a mariner at sea. It is unwritten, consisting of 



166 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

spoken words by which the testator gives directions for 
disposing of his personal estate. 

Printed forms of a Last Will and Testament may be 
obtained for five cents at all stationers, but to be legal no 
such printed form is necessary All that is required to be 
strictly legal is the written statement of the testator prop- 
erly executed and attested. 

Things thus bequeathed may be real estate, personal es- 
tate or mixed, fixtures, books, paintings, furniture, house- 
hold goods, chattels, jewelry, money. 

Usually a will is placed for safe-keeping in the hands 
of one of three persons : either the clerk of every county 
in the state, or the register of deeds in the city or county, 
or the surrogate of every county, who upon being paid 

the fee allowed by law ( ) , must receive and 

deposit in their offices, respectively, any last will or testa- 
ment which anyone shall deliver them for that purpose, 
and must give that person depositing it a written receipt 
for it. 

The will should be enclosed in a sealed wrapper, pre- 
venting the contents from being read, and indorsed there- 
on should be the name of the testator, his place of resi- 
dence, the day, month and year when delivered; and 
shall not on any pretext be opened, read or examined until 
delivered to a person entitled to the same. 

The only persons to whom such a will shall be delivered 
are: 

i. The testator in person; or 

2. Upon his written order, duly proved by the oath of 
a subscribing witness; or 

3. After his death to the persons named in the en- 
dorsement on the wrapper of the will, if any such en- 
dorsement be made thereon. 



MAKING A WILL 167 

4. If there be no such indorsement, and the same 
shall be deposited with any other officer than a surro- 
gate, then to the surrogate of the county. 

5. Such surrogate, having received the will, shall, 
after the death of testator, publicly open and examine the 
same, and make known the contents thereof, and shall file 
the same in his office, there to remain until it shall have 
been duly proved, and then to be delivered to the person 
entitled to the custody thereof; or until required by the 
authority of some competent court to produce the same 
in court. 

6. The witnesses to any will must write opposite their 
names their respective places of residence; and any per- 
son who shall sign the testator's name to any will by his 
direction, shall write his own name as a witness. Who- 
ever shall neglect to comply with either of these provis- 
ions, will forfeit fifty dollars to be recovered by any per- 
son interested in the property devised or bequeathed who 
may sue for the same. Such omission will not affect the 
validity of any will nor shall any person liable to the 
penalty be excused or incapacitated on that account from 
testifying respecting the execution of a will. (It is easy 
to perceive that the stating his own address by the witness 
is a matter of utmost importance to him.) 

The important legal terms in connection with will- 
making are : 

Testator — The one who makes a will. A man who 
does not make one is said to die intestate. 

A Codicil is an appendix to a will, modifying it in some 
way. It must be executed and witnessed as formally as 
the will itself. It sometimes revokes in part the provis- 
ions made in the main body of the will. 

Revocation — Sometimes a will is revoked by tearing, 



168 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

burning or obliterating it. Or a new will bearing a later 
date may be drawn. 

It is a safeguard to state in a will that this is the tes- 
tator's last will, and if other wills have been made, to 
state, hereby revoking all other wills. 

Legacy is a gift by will of money or personal property. 
The person to whom it is bequeathed is the legatee. 

Real estate is devised or bequeathed. 

Probate — The official proof of wills; the official copy 
of a will with the certificate of its having been proved. 

Contest of Will. — A will may be legally contested on 
the grounds of fraud, duress, menace, or undue influence ; 
and the claim that the testator was of unsound mind. 

An executor is appointed where there is a will, and is 
either named in the will or appointed by the court. 

An administrator is appointed by the court where there 
is no will, or where the will does not name an executor. 

Authority to an executor is given by an appointment of 
the court, and called Letters Testamentary. 

Authority to an Administrator is given by the court, 
and called Letters of Administration. 

Any person interested in the estate, whether as execu- 
tor, devisee, legatee, creditor, or for other valid reason, 
may, at any time after the death of the testator, petition 
the court having jurisdiction, to have the will proved, 
whether the same be in his possession or not, or is lost or 
destroyed, or beyond the jurisdiction of the estate, or is 
a nuncupative will. 

When a will is presented for probate, the court will hear 
the proofs and issue a certificate of probate. The person 
who witnessed the will are examined as to their knowl- 
edge of its execution and to show that it really is the will 
of the testator. 



MAKING A WILL 169 

In case of the death of one or all of the witnesses, or 
the insanity, or ignorance of their residence, the court will 
allow the will to be proved by other evidence — the hand- 
writing of testator, or of witnesses, and other circum- 
stances. 

A will is said to be proved in common form, when the 
executor presents it in the court, and, without summon- 
ing any of the parties interested, calls one or more wit- 
nesses to witness its execution. The objection to this 
mode of proof was, at common law, that at any time with- 
in thirty years the executor might be called upon by any 
party in interest to make proof in solemn form. Proof 
is made in solemn form, when all parties whose interests 
are to be affected by the will have been duly notified to be 
present, and have had opportunity to be heard in the 
premises. This is now the usual mode in the United 
States, and after the will is approved in this way it is 
forever binding. 

Real estate may be devised by all persons except idiots, 
those of unsound mind and minor or infants (those not 
yet 21 years of age). Personal estate may be bequeathed 
by every male person of the age of 18 or more, and every 
female person of the age of sixteen or more, of sound 
mind and memory. 



170 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 



PERSONAL FACTORS INDISPENSABLE 
TO SUCCESS. 

Among the personal qualities essential to success are 
Character, Personality, Energy, Imagination, Initiative, 
Originality, Observation, Discrimination. 

Analysing Character we find its elements to consist of 
honesty, integrity, stability, decision. No business can 
long succeed when these are lacking. Honesty is not only 
the best policy, it is the backbone of business today. The 
crook may get ahead for awhile but failure awaits him at 
some turn of the crooked road. Business men today have 
learned that to build up a lasting structure they must have 
true foundations, and straight lines. If the sun were to 
rise at a different hour every day in the week business 
would soon be all awry; so, too, if trains did not run ac- 
cording to schedule time, the mail was irregular, and 
department stores and banks failed to conduct business 
according to methodical and trustworthy system. Hence 
honesty, integrity, stability, are the mainstays both in the 
personal and the corporate life. 

The young man who would succeed must be stable in 
character. "Unstable as water; thou shalt not excel." 
His friends and employers must know "where to find 
him." He must be a man of principle, so that in an 
emergency his loyalty and good habits can b6 depended 
upon. The youth who shifts his ground with every turn 
of the wind, and has no rules according to which he 



PERSONAL FACTORS INDISPENSABLE 171 

governs his life, is no good foundation stone for a pros- 
perous business. 

Energy is an essential to a successful business career. 
But this energy must, like all power, be properly applied. 
Steam is a form of power, but it was wasted until Watts 
showed how to use it. Rightly applied it runs our loco- 
motives and our factories. Boys overflow with energy. 
When they use it to break windows we rebel. When 
young men use it to play ball when they should be utiliz- 
ing it in business it is worse than wasted. And even when 
a man applies it to business, if he does not do so methodi- 
cally, he is sure to waste force that might accrue in rich 
returns to business. 

The man of energy makes use of opportunities that 
others overlook. He is continually on the lookout for 
new ideas and then tries them out. It is the energetic 
insurance or book agent who follows up that last prospect 
even at the end of a wearisome day, and clinches the bar- 
gain that another one postpones till tomorrow. 

Imagination is important for the successful business 
man. He must be able to project his mind into the future 
and foresee to a certain extent business conditions and 
the demands of the trade weeks or months hence. To be 
able to do this he must learn to know his business from 
top to bottom as it stands today, and in all its ramifica- 
tions, that by knowing its laws of cause and effect he 
may lay plans for the future. The great complex ma- 
chines that manufacture fabrics or tools, were not all 
evolved in a day. Each was improved according to an 
idea that first had birth in the brain of a man. So in 
business, each improvement dawns first in the brain of a 
man of constructive imagination. 

The man of imagination also is quick to see in what 



172 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

way his shop or office may be made more attractive, so 
as to win and keep customers. He is always inventing, 
devising new improvements, more effective arrangements. 

Closely allied to Imagination, indeed, important ele- 
ments thereof, are Initiative and Originality. The man of 
initiative, however, is not necessarily inventive. He may 
observe keenly, and seeing what is excellent in other 
places, has the decision to instal them in his own plant. 

Discrimination is important as an element in success. 
It is dependent upon accurate observation and comparison. 
It involves^ selection of the good and rejection of the bad, 
in business methods, in choice of goods, in engaging 
employees. It is one faculty that can be developed to 
great nicety and is indispensable to the man who would 
succeed. The man who sells silks must discriminate as 
to quality and hue. The man who sells real estate must 
discriminate as to all kinds of land values. He who sells 
his own labor must discriminate as to his own special gifts 
and aptitudes. 

Personality is an important element in a successful life. 
As Whitman says: 

"TO A PUPIL. 

"Is reform needed? Is it through you? 

The greater the reform needed, the greater the Person- 
ality you need to accomplish it. 

You ! Do you not see how it would serve to have eyes, 
blood, complexion, clean and sweet? 

Do you not see how it would serve to have such a body 
and soul that when you enter the crowd an atmosphere 
of desire and command enters with you, and everyone 
is impressed with your Personality? 

O the magnet ! The flesh over and over ! 



PERSONAL FACTORS INDISPENSABLE 173 

Go, dear friend, if need be give up all else, and commence 
today to inure yourself to pluck, reality, self-esteem, 
definiteness, elevatedness. 

Rest not till you rivet and publish yourself of your own 
Personality." 

A human being may have a personality which is win- 
ning, alluring, easily makes friends, or which repels, 
antagonizes. A person with a weak personality makes 
little or no impression either to allure or repel. But it 
is usually the case that a strong personality that is mag- 
netic, attractive, to some, is, on the other hand, repellant 
to others, quite like the two poles of the magnet. 

It is easy to recognize, that in business, the attractive 
personality is a strong asset, as it is in other walks of 
life, but it carries with it its own temptations and weak- 
nesses, which must be guarded against. 

Acknowledging that a charming personality is a thing 
to be desired, let us first consider in what respects it may 
be strengthened by those in whom it is negligible. Just 
what do we mean by that term? Whitman sums it up 
in his wonderful short poem. If we wish to succeed, to 
win adherents to an unpopular cause, or gain new clients 
in a profession or new customers in our business, the 
personality is a great asset. 

Call to mind a few persons whom you regard as having 
a vital personality and among their characteristics will be 
found:' Sympathy, enthusiasm, faith, courage, self-confi- 
dence, self-forgetfulness, as well as others less salient. 
Can these be cultivated? How do they express them- 
selves ? 

J. G. Blaine was perhaps, one of the most beloved of 
our lesser statesmen. It is said that he never forgot a 
name or a face of a person he had once met and he always 



174 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

associated them correctly. This memory for faces can be 
cultivated as we know, but what did it imply in the case 
of Blaine? It indicated sympathy — he knew that human 
beings feel pleased and proud when a man of affairs and 
large acquaintance recognizes them after an interval of 
months or years. He understood human nature and 
sympathized enough with this weakness to appeal to it. 
But this was only an indication of the larger sympathy 
which made itself felt when he addressed an audience. 
He held them in large part by this quality of sympathy 
which includes imagination — in other words, the ability to 
"put yourself in his place." 

Therefore the would-be successful man must cultivate 
sympathy. 

But sympathy with others must be matched by confi- 
dence in oneself, otherwise it is likely to degenerate into 
maudlin ineffectual weakness. 

To cultivate self-confidence, one must for one thing ob- 
tain control of the bodily self, hence the value of physical 
exercises which give physical poise and by reacting on 
the mind afford the first step toward self-confidence. One 
must next acquaint oneself with all facts concerning 
one's business which are essential to a thorough under- 
standing of its merits so that in the affairs of life one may 
stand forth intelligently in its praise or defence or in- 
terpretation. If trying to further an unpopular cause, this 
also is true — One must know all facts in its favor, and 
be familiar as well, with the arguments of the opposition 
in order to destroy them. 

A command of language is one of the best assistants 
to self-confidence. In an argument, and how many are 
the problems now up for intelligent discussion, that man 
has most personality and confidence who can express 



PERSONAL FACTORS INDISPENSABLE 175 

himself fluently. You may know all the arguments in 
favor of a question which someone is trying to confute, 
but if you cannot state them in exact language, of what 
avail is your knowledge and how your personality suffers ! 

Courage is an essential of an attractive personality. 
The man who is timid about asserting his convictions or 
the merits of the goods he is endeavoring to sell, will be 
little likely to win the confidence or cash of his patrons, be 
they the general public or the man advertising for a sales 
agent. Courage, which depends upon faith in one's 
abilities and faith in the quality of what one is selling, is 
an indispensable element of personality. When Daniel 
Webster had the courage of his convictions he was an 
all-powerful advocate. When he proved recreant to his 
ideals, the glory of his personality faded. 

Paradoxical although it may seem, the man of great 
personality combines with his self-respect or self-esteem, 
the quality of self-forgetfulness — that is to say, the truly 
great and impressive man forgets himself in his cause — 
that which he represents is greater to him than himself. 
How quickly we are antagonized by a man who, we subtly 
feel, is advertising himself rather than that which he is 
supposed to be advocating. How quickly we respond to 
the man who is sincerely and unselfishly devoted to his 
business even if we do not at first accord with his point 
of view. 

Just what does Whitman mean by "Reality ?" What 
relation has that to personality? Assuredly the power 
to recognize truth, to see facts in their true relations, is an 
important element of personality, for it removes the 
danger of falling into sentimentality. Clear vision, and a 
vivid imagination, may exist side by side with the power 
to view life sanely. Cultivate the faculty to note the 



176 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

ugly as well as the beautiful facts of life, without being 
disheartened by them, and character is strengthened, per- 
sonality purified. With perception of the evil must go the 
desire to overcome it with good. 

Definiteness, the power to see clearly, to reason exactly, 
to express oneself precisely, to know what one wants 
and exactly how to get it, goes with a strong, convincing 
personality. 

Elevatedness, purity of thought, and language, is an ac- 
companiment, a characteristic, of influential personality. 
The man, whether business man or reformer, who lives 
habitually upon a high plane of thought and action, who 
keeps body and soul, wholesome, pure, and in perfect con- 
trol, is developing a personality that radiates power, and 
charm, and success, whatever the life goal which he has 
set himself to win. 



PARTNERSHIP 177 



PARTNERSHIP. 

Partnership is the relation existing between two or 
more persons, who have contracted together to carry on 
some business or enterprise in common. 

Attempts have often been made to lay down some 
one, always present, characteristic as the distinguishing 
mark of a partnership. This, however, is impossible. 
There is no one element always to be found in the case 
of every partnership. Common ownership of the firm's 
property, and sharing of profits and losses are common 
characteristics of partnership, but are sometimes lacking. 
The most important general characteristic of a partner- 
ship is that of the mutual agency of the partners, and, in 
fact, the law of partnership is often referred to as a 
specialized branch of the law of agency; but, in the case 
of a special partnership, a special partner is not an 
agent of the partnership or of the other partners. 

"The existence of a partnership is to be proved like 
any other competent evidence and subject to the usual 
rules of evidence. * * * Proof of such a contract is, 
of course, proof of partnership. As hereinbefore seen, 
the ultimate fact to be proved is a common ownership or 
joint proprietorship of a business and its profits. Any 
evidence having a legitimate tendency to explain the 
nature and ground of profit sharing is admissible as 
tending to prove or disprove partnership. 

"A person alleging partnership between himself and 



178 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

other persons is held to a stricter degree of proof than 
when the question arises as between alleged partners and 
third persons, as partners are presumed to have the 
means of proving their own partnership. A partnership 
between third persons may, of course, be proved in the 
same manner as a partnership is proved between the 
partners themselves, but as a stranger has not the same 
means of knowledge, he is not held to the same strictness 
of proof as in establishing his own partnership. Thus, 
much is admissible to establish a partnership in favor 
of third persons which would be wholly inadmissible to 
prove a partnership inter se, and much, if not most, of 
that which would be equally admissible for either pur- 
pose, such as acts of the parties, will have much more de- 
cisive weight and significance to prove a partnership 
against defendants than to prove the like partnership in 
their favor if plaintiffs. So a third person seeking to 
hold one liable as a partner need not prove an actual 
partnership, but it is sufficient to show a liability as part- 
ner by holding out." (American and English Encyclope- 
dia of Law.) 

A true partnership can only arise from a contract be- 
tween the partners. Each partner must contract with 
each other partner, and must agree to the admission of 
each other partner into the partnership. From this 
grows the rule of law known as delectus personarum, 
which prohibits one partner from assigning his interest to 
a third person so as to make such person a member of 
the partnership. This rule of delectus personarum does 
not apply in the cases of mining partnerships or of joint- 
stock companies. Nor is this rule violated by the forma- 
tion of a subpartnership, by which one partner makes 
a contract with a third person, by which contract he 



PARTNERSHIP 179 

agrees to divide his profits from the partnership with 
such third party. 

FIRM PROPERTY. 

Firm property includes all property, either real or per- 
sonal, owned by the partners as a firm, as distinguished 
from that owned by the partners individually. Whether 
particular property is firm property depends upon the in- 
tention of the partners. Property bought with the profits 
of the partnership is presumed to be firm property. The 
legal title to real property must be held in the name of one 
or more of the partners individually. The interest of a 
partner in firm property is an anomalous one, he has no 
title to any particular piece of firm property, while the 
partnership continues, but only a right to his propor- 
tionate share of the excess of the assets over the liabili- 
ties, upon the dissolution of the partnership. The respec- 
tive rights of the partners in firm property is to be de- 
termined by the partnership agreement. The presumption 
is that each partner has an equal interest. If a partner- 
ship was to continue for some specified time, one partner 
cannot insist on the sale and division of the partnership 
property before the expiration of this time except for 
some good cause, as, for example, misconduct of his 
partner. A partner may give the partnership the use of 
certain property, without transferring the title to it. 
There may be a partnership without any firm property. 

PROFITS AND LOSSES. 

Under the typical partnership agreement, all of the 
partners share both in the profits and in the losses of the 
partnership. Profit sharing or loss sharing, however, 
does not necessarily exist among partners; and, on the 



180 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

other hand, because parties share in the profits or losses 
of a certain transaction or business, it does not necessarily 
follow that they are partners. The whole question of the 
division of profits and losses is one which can be ar- 
ranged, in any manner desired, by agreement between the 
parties interested. 

THE CONTRACT. 

A contract of partnership is governed by the general 
rules governing contracts. This contract need not b£ in 
writing. Any person who has general power of con- 
tracting may enter into a contract of partnership. Re- 
strictions are still placed upon the power of a married 
woman to enter into this species of contracts ; for exam- 
ple, in Illinois, a married woman cannot make a contract 
of partnership without the consent of her husband. Un- 
less such a power is conferred by its charter, a corpora- 
tion cannot enter into a partnership. 

KINDS OF PARTNERS. 

The various kinds of partners are as follows: 

(1) Ostensible — one held out to the public as such. 

(2) Secret — one whose connection with the partner- 
ship is concealed from the public. Such a partner, if 
his connection with the firm is discovered, may be held 
liable for the debts of the firm, the same as any other 
partner . 

(3) Active — one who takes a part in the management 
of the firm. 

(4) Silent — one who takes no part in the manage- 
ment and merely receives his share of profits. 

(5) Limited or special — one whose liability to the 
creditors of firm is restricted. (This can only be done 



PARTNERSHIP 181 



by strict compliance with statutory provisions on this 
subject, in the laws of the different states.) 

(6) Dormant — one who is both a secret and a silent 
partner. 

(7) Nominal — one who is an apparent but not a real 
member of tne partnership. Sometimes a nominal part- 
ner is some one who lends the firm the use of his name 
so that they may obtain credit. 

(8) Incoming — one who enters a previously existing 
firm. This can only be done with the consent of all the 
previous partners, and in such a case there is in reality 
a dissolution of the old partnership and the creation of 
a new one. 

(9) Retiring — one who leaves a firm. 

(10) Liquidating — one who winds up the business of 
a dissolved partnership. 

RIGHTS AND LIABILITIES OF PARTNERS. 

The rights and liabilities of partners inter se, are de- 
termined, in the main, by the terms of the articles of 
partnership. Except in the cases of silent or special part- 
ners, each partner has a right to a share in the manage- 
ment of the firm's affairs. In the absence of any special 
agreement to the contrary, the decision of the majority of 
the partners controls in all matters arising in the ordinary 
course of the partnership business, provided the majority 
act in good faith. 

Every partner owes to the partnership the duty to 
exercise the highest degree of good faith in all matters 
relating to the partnership. No partner has the right to 
obtain for himself profits or benefits arising from a trans- 
action concerning firm interests. A partner has no right 
to carry on any business which competes with the busi- 



182 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

ness of the firm, but, in the absence of any agreement to 
the contrary, he may carry on a non-competing business. 

A partner is entitled to be indemnified by the firm for 
all proper payments and disbursements made by him on 
account of the firm. f 

Proper accounts of the business of the firm should al- 
ways be kept, and each partner is entitled to access to 
such accounts. 

A firm, and all of its members are bound by the con- 
tracts and acts of any party within either the actual or 
apparent scope of the agency of such partner. In general 
a partner has the authority to bind the firm by all acts 
necessary for carrying on the partnership business in the 
usual way. The particular acts which will fall under this 
description depend upon the nature of the business in 
which the partnership is engaged. Even if a partner 
makes a contract in his own name, the other members of 
the firm are personally bound thereby if such contract 
was in reality made for the firm. An exception to this 
rule is found in the case of sealed instruments. 

A firm is liable for the torts of one partner, in the 
course of the firm's business, but not for his crimes. 

In a limited partnership the liability of one or more of 
the partners is limited to a certain maximum amount, 
while the liability of the other partner, or partners, is 
that of an ordinary partner under common law principles. 

Limited partnerships are not recognized at Common 
law, and can only exist in virtue of express statutory 
provisions. Statutes authorizing limited partnerships 
provide for various preliminary steps of advertising, etc., 
to be taken in the formation of such partnerships, and a 
failure to strictly follow such provisions will render the 
limited partner liable as a general partner. In most states 



PARTNERSHIP 183 



the contribution of the limited partner to the firm must 
be in actual cash. 

DISSOLUTION. 

A partnership may be dissolved either ( 1 ) by the terms 
of the partnership agreement, (2) by act of parties, (3) 
by operation of law, (4) by decree of court. 

A partnership is terminated according to the terms of 
the original agreement when the time for which it w^s 
agreed that the partnership was to continue has expired, 
or the purpose for which the partnership was created has 
been accomplished. 

A partnership may be dissolved by acts of the parties 
(1) by a mutual agreement to this effect between the 
parties, (2) by notice of dissolution given by one partner, 
when no special time was agreed upon during which the 
partnership was to continue, (3) by the transfer of the 
interest of one of the partners. 

A partnership will be dissolved by operation of law, 
(1) by the death of a partner, (2) by the insolvency or 
bankruptcy of the firm or of an individual partner, (3) 
by the marriage of a single woman who is a partner 
(this is changed in some states by statute), or (4) by the 
continuance of the partnership becoming illegal. 

A court of equity has the power to dissolve a partner- 
ship in proper cases. Among the grounds for such action 
are, fraud in the formation of the partnership, insanity 
or misconduct of one of the partners, and the hopeless- 
ness of success by the partnership. 



184 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 



SALES. 

A sale of personal property consists in the transfer of 
the legal title thereto, in return for a money considera- 
tion. The possession need not pass, although in many 
states it is provided, by statute, that the title shall not 
pass as against third persons, unless there was a transfer 
of possession, or unless such third peron had actual or 
constructive notice of such sale. 

The general principles of contract law cover contracts 
of sale. In most states the Statute of Frauds requires 
contracts for the sale of personal property, to the value of 
fifty dollars, to be in writing; but the Statute of Frauds 
of some states (including Illinois) contains no such pro- 
vision. 

Either corporeal or incorporeal personal property may 
be the subject of a sale. Among the species of incor- 
poreal personal property which may be sold are the good 
will of a business stock, promissory notes, etc. 

Fructus industriales are personal property, and may 
be sold as such ; but f ractus naturales, until severed from 
the soil, are considered real property. Property not yet 
acquired by the vendor, but which he expects to acquire, 
may be sold, and upon the acquisition of the title by the 
vendor, it will at once pass to the vendee. 

A somewhat difficult question arises where a person 
agrees to furnish both the labor and the materials for the 
manufacture of some new article. 

The modern English cases hold that if the contract 



SALES 185 

chattel, the contract is one of sale. A few states follow 
this English rule, but a majority of the states of this 
country follow either what is known as the New York 
rule, or what is known as the Massachusetts rule. 

The New York rule is that unless the goods are already 
made up and on hand, the contract is not one of sale, but 
one for labor and materials. 

The Massachusetts rule is midway between the English 
rule and the New York rule. Under the laws of this 
state, if the goods to be made are such as are generally 
kept for sale by the person who is to make them, the 
contract is one of sale; but if such goods are not ordi- 
narily kept for sale by such party, the contract is not one 
of sale. 

An unconditional contract of sale (as distinguished 
from a contract to sell) conveys to the vendee the imme- 
diate right both to title and possession. Unless there is 
an agreement to give credit, however, there is also the 
duty imposed upon the vendee to make immediate pay- 
ment, and the vendor may refuse to deliver the property 
until payment is made therefor. 

PASSING OF THE TITLE. 

The time when the title to the goods sold, passes, is 
primarily determined by the intention of the parties. 

The law presumes that the title does not pass while 
something remains to be done in order to put the goods 
in shape for final delivery. The fact that the price has 
not been fixed, however, is not of itself, sufficient to pre- 
vent the title from passing. 

If the contract of sale of certain property is a condi- 
tional one, all conditions precedent must be performed 



186 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

before the title will pass; but the fact that the seller re- 
tains the goods in his possession for security does not 
affect the presumption of sale. 

The title to goods to be grown or manufactured does 
not pass until the goods are in condition for delivery to 
the vendee, and have been appropriated by the vendor for 
this purpose. "The weight of authority is, that the ap- 
propriation by the seller of the article when completed in 
accordance with the terms of the contract, passes the title 
without the subsequent assent of the purchaser, and an 
action for the agreed price can be maintained. ,, (Colo- 
rado Springs Live Stock Co. vs. Godding, 20 Colo., 249.) 

DELIVERY. 

Unless there is an agreement to the contrary, the title 
to the goods sold passes in the place where they are at 
the time of the sale, and it is the duty of the vendee to 
remove them. If the vendor agrees to make delivery he 
must deliver the goods at the place specified, or if no place 
was specified, then either at the home or place of business 
of the vendee. The question as to whether delivery to a 
carrier is a delivery by the vendor, depends upon whether, 
under the terms of their contract, such carrier is to be 
considered as the agent of the vendor or of the vendee. 

If a time is specified, within which delivery must be 
made, it must be made before the expiration of such 
period. If no time is specified it must be made within a 
reasonable time. The goods delivered must correspond, 
both as to quantity and quality, with the terms of the 
contract. 

Delivery (when required from the vendor) must ordi- 
narily be performed as above stated, but any action by 



SALES 187 

the vendee in violation of the terms of the contract will 
excuse non-delivery by the vendor. 

ACCEPTANCE. 

When there is a valid contract of sale, and a proper 
delivery, it is the duty of the vendee to accept the goods. 
The vendee, however, is excused from the necessity of 
accepting the goods when the vendor is in any way at 
fault. 

WARRANTIES, CONDITIONS AND REPRESENTATIONS. 

A warranty is a collateral contract annexed to the main 
contract. A breach of a warranty does not affect the 
validity of the main contract, but renders the party liable 
in damages on the collateral contract. 

A condition is part of the main contract, A breach of 
a condition will prevent a contract from taking effect, 
or will terminate such contract. 

A representation is a statement made as an inducement 
to a person to make a contract. The remedy, if a rep- 
resentation is false, is a suit ex delicto for deceit. 

RIGHTS OF UNPAID VENDOR. 

If the goods have been delivered and not been paid for, 
the vendor may sue for the contract price. If the vendee 
refuses to take the goods after the contract of sale has 
been completed, the vendor may sue for the breach of the 
contract; the measure of damages being the difference 
between the contract price, and what the vendor can sell 
the goods for to some one else. 

If the vendor has not yet delivered the goods, he has 
a lien on such goods for the purchase price. 

The right of stoppage in transitu, is an extension of this 



188 BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 

right of the vendor's lien. This right exists when the 
vendor discovers the fact of the insolvency of the vendee, 
while the goods are in process of transit to him. 

RIGHTS OF VENDEE. 

If the vendor refuses to deliver the goods after the 
making of the contract, the vendee may sue for the breach 
of the contract, the measure of damages being the differ- 
ence between the contract price and what the vendee must 
pay to secure similar goods elsewhere. 

In some cases the vendee may secure the specific per- 
formance of the contract through a court of equity. 
(See Chapter XIV on Equity Jurisprudence.) 

UNIFORM SALES ACT. 

The first tentative draft of the Uniform Sales Act was 
prepared in 1902,-3, by Professor Samuel Williston of 
the Harvard Law School, at the request of the Commis- 
sioners of Uniform Laws in National Conference. The 
final draft was adopted by the Commissioners of Uniform 
Laws in 1906. This act has to date, been enacted in 
Arizona, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, 
and Rhode Island. 

*The above is taken from Putney's Bar Examination 
Review, 1918, published by Central Book Co., 93 Nassau 
St., N. Y. C Price $4.00, delivered. 



SYNONYMS AND ANTONYMS OF THE 
ENGLISH LANGUAGE 



An intensely interesting study 
In philology and one that is too 
commonly overlooked is afforded 
by a large group of words that 
is divisible into two classes, first, 
different words that have the 
same meaning, and, second, 
words that have a meaning, 
entirely opposite to those in 
the first class. A practical result 
of a comparison of these classes 
of words is found in a choice 
suitable to the fancy of the stu- 
dent, and also in the selection 
of the words that indicate the 
best form in writing and speak- 
ing. Any one who wants "the 
right word" will here be accom- 
modated. Words in the first 
class are known as Synonyms; 
those in the second class as An- 
tonyms. Should the student 
wish to pursue this study further 
two other classes are available 
and inviting, first, Homonyms, or 
words similar in spelling but 
differing in use, and, second, 
Homophonous words, or those 
that are similar in sound, but 
differ in spelling and meaning. 

The following collection is lim- 
ited to synonyms and antonyms, 
and to those especially that are 
most prevalent in ordinary 
usage, and will answer most of 
the requirements of refined cor- 
respondence and conversation. 

A 

abandon, leave, forsake, desert, 
renounce, relinquish, quit, fore- 
go, let go, waive. (Keep, 
cherish.) 

abandoned, deserted, forsaken, 
wicked, reprobate, dissolute, 
profligate, flagitious, corrupt, 
depraved, vicious. (Cared for, 
virtuous.) 

abandonment, leaving, desertion, 
dereliction, renunciation, de- 
fection. 

abasement, degradation, fall, de- 
generacy, humiliation, abjec- 
tion, debasement, servility. 
(Honor.) 

abash, bewilder, disconcert, dis- 
compose, confound, confuse, 
shame. (Embolden.) 

abbreviate, shorten, abridge, cur- 



tail, contract, condense, reduce. 
(Extend.) 

abdicate, give up, resign, re- 
nounce, abandon, forsake, re- 
linquish, quit, forego. 

abet, help, encourage, instigate, 
incite, stimulate, aid, assist. 
(Resist.) 

abettor, assistant, accessory, ac- 
complice, promoter, instigator, 
particeps criminis, coadjutor, 
associate, companion, co-oper- 
ator. (Opponent.) 

abhor, dislike intensely, view 
with horror, hate, detest, 
abominate, loathe, nauseate. 
(Love.) 

ability, capability, talent, fa- 
culty, capacity, qualification, 
aptitude, aptness, expertness, 
skill, efficiency, accomplish- 
ment, attainment. (Incom- 
petency.) 

abject, groveling, low, mean, 
base, ignoble, worthless, despic- 
able, servile, vile, contemptible. 
(Noble.) 

abjure, recant, forswear, dis- 
claim, recall, revoke, retract, 
renounce. (Maintain.) 

able, strong, powerful, muscular, 
stalwart, vigorous, athletic, 
robust, brawny, skillful, 
adroit, competent, efficient, 
capable, clever, self-qualified, 
telling, fitted. (Weak.) 

abode, residence, habitation, 
dwelling, domicile, home, quar- 
ters, lodging. 

abolish, quash, destroy, revoke, 
abrogate, annul, cancel, anni- 
hilate, extinguish, vitiate, in- 
validate, nullify. (Establish, 
enforce.) 

abominable, hateful, detestable, 
odious, vile, execrable. (Lov- 
able.) 

abortive, fruitless, ineffectual, 
idle, inoperative, vain, futile. 
(Effectual.) 

about, concerning, regarding, 
relative to. with regard to, as 
to, respecting, with respect to, 
referring to, around, nearly, 
approximately. 

abscond, run off, steal awax, 
decamp, bolt. 

absent, o., inattentive, abstracted, 
not attending to, listless, 
dreamy. (Present.) 



190 



BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 



absolute, entire, complete, un- 
conditional, unqualified, un- 
restricted, despotic, arbitrary, 
tyrannous, imperative, authori- 
tative, imperious. (Limited.) 

absorb, engross, swallow up, 
engulf, imbibe, consume, 
merge. (Eject.) 

absurd, silly, foolish, preposter- 
ous, ridiculous, irrational, un- 
reasonable, nonsensical, incon- 
sistent. (Wise, solemn.) 

abuse, v., asperse, revile, vilify, 
reproach, calumniate, defame, 
slander, scandalize, malign, 
traduce, disparage, depreciate, 
ill-use. (Praise, protect.) 

abuse, »., scurrility, ribaldry, 
contumely, obloquy, opprobri- 
um, foul invective, vitupera- 
tion, ill-usage. (Praise, pro- 
tection.) 

accede, assent to, consent, ac- 
quiesce, comply with, agree, 
coincide, concur, approve. (Pro- 
test.) 

accelerate, hasten, hurry, expe- 
dite, forward, quicken, des- 
patch. (Retard.) 

accept, receive, take, admit. (Re- 
fuse.) 

acceptable, agreeable, pleasing, 
gratifying, pleasurable, wel- 
come. (Displeasing.) 

accident, casualty, incident, con- 
tingency, adventure, chance. 

accommodate, serve, oblige, 
adapt, fit, suit. (Disoblige, im- 
pede.) 

accomplice, confederate, acces- 
sory, abettor, coadjutor, assist- 
ant, ally, associate, particeps 
criminis. (Adversary.) 

accomplish, do, effect, finish, exe- 
cute, achieve, complete, per- 
fect, consummate. (Fail.) 

accomplishment, attainment, 
qualification, acquirement. (De- 
fect.) 

accord, grant, allow, admit, con- 
cede. (Deny.) 

accost, salute, address, speak to, 
stop, greet. 

account, narrative, description, 
narration, relation, detail, re- 
cital, moneys, reckoning, bill, 
charge. 

accountable, punishable, answer- 
ablp, amenable, responsible, 
liable. 

accumulate, bring together, 
amass, collect, gather. (Scatter, 
dissipate.) 

accumulation, collection, store, 
mass, congeries, concentration. 



accurate, correct, exact, precise, 
nice, truthful. (Erroneous, 
careless.) 

achieve, do, accomplishment, ef- 
fect, fulfill, execute, gain, win. 

achievement, feat, exploit, accom- 
plishment, attainment, perform- 
ance, acquirement, gain. (Fail- 
ure.) 

acknowledge, admit, confess, 
own, avow, grant, recognize, 
allow, concede, (Deny.) 

acquaint, inform, enlighten, ap- 
prise, make aware, make 
known, notify, communicate. 
(Deceive.) 

acquaintance, familiarity, Intim- 
acy, cognizance, fellowship, 
companionship, knowledge. 
(Unfamiliarity.) 

acquiesce, agree, accede, assent, 
comply, consent, give way, co- 
incide with. (Protest.) 

acquit, pardon, forgive, dis- 
charge, set free, clear, absolve. 
(Condemn, convict.) 

act, do, operate, make, perform, 
play, enact. 

action, deed, achievement, feat, 
exploit, accomplishment, battle, 
engagement, agency, instru- 
mentality. 

active, lively, sprightly, alert, 
agile, nimble, brisk, quick, sup- 
ple, prompt, vigiUnt, laborious, 
industrious. (Lazy, passive.) 

actual, real, positive, genuine, 
certain. (Fictitious.) 

acute, shrewd, intelligent, pene- 
trating, piercing, jteen. (Dull.) 

adapt, accommodate, suit, fit, 
conform. 

addicted, devoted, wedded, at- 
tached, given up to, dedi- 
cated. 

addition, increase, accession, aug- 
mentation, reinforcement. (Sub- 
traction, separation.) 

address, speech, discourse, ap- 
peal, oration, tact, skill, abil- 
ity, dexterity, deportment, de- 
meanor. 

adhesion, adherence, attachment, 
fidelity, devotion. (Aloofness.) 

adjacent, near to, adjoining, con- 
tiguous, conterminous, border- 
ing, neighboring. (Distant.) 

adjourn, defer, prorogue, post- 
pone. 

adjunct, appendency. dependency. 

adjust, set right, fit, accommo- 
date, adapt, arrange, settle, reg- 
ulate, organize. (Confuse.) 

admirable, striking, surprising, 
wonderful, astonishing. (De- 
testable.) 



ANTONYMS AND SYNONYMS 



191 



admit, allow, permit, suffer, tole- 
rate. (Deny.) 

advantageous, beneficial. (Hurt- 
ful.) 

affection, love. (Aversion.) 

affectionate, fond, kind. (Harsh.) 

agreeable, pleasant, pleasing. 
charming. (Disagreeable.) 

alternating, Intermittent. (Con- 
tinual.) 

ambassador, envoy, plenipoten- 
tiary, minister. 

amend, improve, correct, better, 
mend. (Impair.) 

anger, ire, wrath, indignation, re- 
sentment. (Good nature.) 

appropriate, assume, ascribe, ar- 
rogate, usurp. 

argue, debate, dispute, reason 
upon. 

arise, flow, emanate, spring, pro- 
ceed, rise, issue. 

artful, disingenuous, sly, tricky, 
insincere. (Candid.) 

artifice, trick, stratagem, finesse. 

association, combination, com- 
pany, partnership, society. 

attack, assail, assault, encounter. 
(Defend.) 

audacity, boldness, effrontery, 
hardihood. (Meekness.) 

austere, rigid, rigorous, severe, 
stern. (Dissolute.) 

avaricious, niggardly, miserly, 
parsimonious. (Generous.) 

aversion, antipathy, dislike, ha- 
tred, repugnance. (Affection.) 

awe, dread, fear, reverence. (Fa- 
miliarity.) 

awkward, clumsy. (Graceful.) 

axiom, adage, aphorism, apo- 
thegm, byword, maxim, prov- 
erb, saying, saw. 



behavior, carriage, conduct, de- 
portment, demeanor. 

belief, credit, faith, trust. 
(Doubt.) 

beneficent, bountiful, generous, 
liberal, munificent. (Covetous, 
miserly.) 

benefit, favor, advantage, kind- 
ness, civility. (Injury.) 

benevolence, beneficence, benign- 
ity, humanity, kindness, ten- 
derness. (Malevolence.) 

blame, censure, condemn, reprove, 
reproach, upbraid. (Praise.) 

blemish, flaw, speck, spot, stain. 
(Ornament.) 

blind, sightless, heedless. (Far- 
sighted.) 

blot, cancel, efface, expunge, 
erase, obliterate. 

bold, brave, daring, fearless, in- 
trepid, undaunted. (Timid.) 

border, brim, brink, edge, mar- 
gin, rim, verge, boundary, con- 
fine, frontier. 

bound, circumscribe, confine, 
limit, restrict. 

brave, dare, defy. 

bravery, courage, valor. (Cowar- 
dice.) 

break, bruise, crush, pound, 
squeeze. 

breece, blast, gale, gust, hurri- 
cane, storm, tempest. 

briffht, clear, radiant, shining. 
(Dull.) 

brittle, fragile, breakable. (Solid.) 

burial, interment, sepulture. 
(Resurrection.) 

business, avocation, employment, 
engagement, occupation, art, 
profession, trade. 

bustle, stir, tumult, fuss. (Quiet.) 



babble, chatter, prattle, prate. 

bad, wicked, evil. (Good.) 

baffle, confound, defeat, discon- 
cert. (Aid, abet.) 

base, vile, mean. (Noble.) 

battle, action, combat, engage- 
ment. 

bear, carry, convey, transport. 

bear, endure, suffer, support. 

beastly, brutal, sensual, bestial. 

beat, defeat, overpower, over- 
throw, rout. 

beautiful, fine, handsome, pretty. 
(Homely, ugly.) 

becoming, decent, fit, seemly, 
suitable. (Unbecoming.) 

beg, beseech, crave, entreat, im- 
plore, solicit, supplicate. 
(Give.) 



calamity, disaster, misfortune, 
mischance, mishap. (Good for- 
tune.) 

calm, collected, composed, placid, 
serene. (Stormy, unsettled.) 

capable, able, competent. (In- 
competent.) 

captions, fretful, cross, peevish, 
petulant. (Good-natured.) 

care, anxiety, concern, solicitude, 
heed, attention. (Heedlessness, 
negligence.) 

caress, kiss, embrace. (Spurn, 
buffet.) 

carnage, butchery, massacre, 
slaughter. 

cause, motive, reason. (Effect, 
consequence.) 



192 



BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 



cease, discontinue, leave off, end. 
(Continue.) 

censure, animadvert, criticise. 
(Praise.) 

certain, secure, sure. (Doubtful.) 

cessation, intermission, rest, stop. 
(Continuance.) 

chance, fate, fortune. (Design.) 

change, barter, exchange, substi- 
tute, 

changeable, fickle, inconstant, 
mutable, variable. (Unchange- 
able.) 

character, reputation, repute, 
standing. 

charm, captivate, enchant, enrap- 
ture, fascinate. 

chastity, purity, continence, vir- 
tue. (Lewdness.) 

cheap, inexpensive, inferior, com- 
mon. (Dear.) 

cheerful, gay, merry, sprightly. 
(Mournful.) 

chief, chieftain, head, leader. 
(Subordinate.) 

circumstance, fact, incident. 

class, degree, order, rank. 

clear, bright, lucid, vivid. 
(Opaque.) 

clever, adroit, dexterous, expert, 
skillful. (Stupid.) 

clothed, clad, dressed. (Naked.) 

coarse, rude, rough, unpolished. 
(Fine.) 

coax, cajole, fawn, wheedle. 

cold, cool, frigid, wintry, unfeel- 
ing, stoical. (Warm.) 

color, dye, stain, tinge. 

colorable, ostensible, plausible, 
specious. 

combination, cabal, conspiracy, 
plot. 

command, injunction, order, pre- 
cept. 

commodity, goods, merchandise, 
ware. 

common, mean, ordinary, vulgar. 
(Uncommon, extraordinary.) 

compassion, sympathy, pity, 
clemency. (Cruelty, severity.) 

compel, force, oblige, necessitate. 
(Coax, lead.) 

compensation, amends, recom- 
pense, remuneration, requital, 
reward. 

compendium, compend, abridge- 
ment. (Enlargement.) 

complain, lament, murmur, re- 
gret, repine. (Rejoice.) 

comply, accede, conform, submit, 
yield. (Refuse.) 

compound, complex. (Simple.) 

comprehend, comprise, include, 
embrace, grasp, understand, 
perceive. (Exclude, mistake.) 



comprise, comprehend, contain, 
embrace, include. 

conceal, hide, secrete. (Uncover.) 

conceive, comprehend, under- 
stand. 

conclusion, inference, deduction. 

condemn, censure, blame, disap- 
prove. (Justify, exonerate.) 

conduct, direct, guide, lead, gov- 
ern, regulate, manage. 

confirm, corroborate, approve, at- 
test. (Contradict.) 

conflict* combat, contest, conten- 
tion, struggle. (Peace, quiet.) 

confute, disprove, refute, oppugn. 
(Approve.) 

conquer, overcome, subdue, sur- 
mount, vanquish. (Defeat.) 

consequence, effect, event, issue, 
result. (Cause.) 

consider, reflect, ponder, weigh. 

consistent, constant, compatible. 
(Inconsistent.) 

console, comfort, solace. (Har- 
row, worry.) 

constancy, firmness, stability, 
steadiness. (Fickleness.) 

contaminate, corrupt, defile, pol- 
lute, taint. 

contemn, despise, disdain, scorn. 
(Esteem.) 

contemplate meditate, muse. 

contemptible, despicable, paltry, 
pitiful, vile, mean. (Noble.) 

contend, contest, dispute, strive, 
struggle, combat. 

continual, constant, continuous, 
perpetual, incessant. (Intermit- 
tent.) 

continuance, continuation, dura- 
tion. (Cessation.) 

continue, persist, persevere, pur- 
sue, prosecute. (Cease.) 

contradict, deny, gainsay, oppose. 
(Confirm.) 

cool, cold, frigid. (Hot.) 

correct, rectify, reform. 

cost, charge, expense, price. 

covetousness, avarice, cupidity. 
(Beneficence.) 

cowardice, fear, timidity, pusil- 
lanimity. (Courage.) 

crime, sin, vice, misdemeanor. 
(Virtue.) 

criminal, convict, culprit, felon, 
malefactor. 

crooked, bent, curved, oblique. 
(Straight.) 

cruel, barbarous, brutal, inhu- 
man, savage. (Kind.) 

cultivation, culture, refinement. 

cursory, desultory, hasty, slight. 
(Thorough.) 

custom, fashion, manner, prac- 
tice. 



ANTONYMS AND SYNONYMS 



193 



clanger, hazard, peril. (Safety.) 

dark, dismal, opaque, obscure, 
dim. (Light.) 

deadly, fatal, destructive, mortal. 

dear, beloved, precious, costly, 
expensive. (Despised, cheap.) 

death, departure, decease, demise, 
(Life.) 

decay, decline, consumption. 
(Growth.) 

deceive, delude, impose upon, 
overreach, gull, dupe, cheat. 

deceit, cheat, imposition, trick, 
delusion, guile, beguilement, 
treachery, sham. (Truthful- 
ness.) 

decide, determine, settle, adjudi- 
cate, terminate, resolve. 

decipher, read, spell, interpret, 
solve. 

decision, determination, conclu- 
sion, resolution, firmness. (Va- 
cillation.) 

declamation, oratory, elocution, 
harangue, effusion, debate. 

declaration, avowal, manifesta- 
tion, statement, profession. 

decrease, diminish, lessen, wane, 
decline, retrench, curtail, re- 
duce. (Growth.) 

dedicate, devote, consecrate, of- 
fer, set, apportion. 

deed, act, action, commission, 
achievement, instrument, docu- 
ment. 

deem, judge, estimate, consider, 
think, suppose, conceive. 

deep, profound, subterranean, 
submerged, designing, ab- 
struse, learned. (Shallow.) 

deface, mar, spoil, injure, dis- 
figure. (Beautify.) 

default, lapse, forfeit, omission, 
absence, want, failure. 

defect, imperfection, flaw, fault, 
blemish. (Beauty, improve- 
ment.) 

defend, guard, protect, justify. 

defense, excuse, plea, vindica- 
tion, bulwark, rampart. 

defer, delay, postpone, put off, 
prorogue, adjourn. (Force, ex- 
pedite.) 

deficient, short, wanting, Inade- 
quate, scanty, Incomplete, 
(Complete.) 

defile, v., pollute, corrupt, sully. 
(Beautify.) 

define, fix, settle, determine, 
limit. 

defray, meet, liquidate, pay, dis- 
charge. 

degree, grade, extent, measure. 



deliberate, v., consider, meditate, 
consult, ponder, debate. 

deliberate, a., purposed, inten- 
tional, determined. (Hasty.) 

delicacy, nicety, daintiness, re- 
finement, tact, softness, mod- 
esty. (Boorishness, indelicacy.) 

delicate, tender, fragile, dainty, 
refined. (Coarse.) 

delicious, sweet, palatable. (Nau- 
seous.) 

delight, enjoyment, pleasure, 
happiness, transport, ecstasy, 
gladness, rapture, bliss. (An- 
noyance.) 

deliver, liberate, free, rescue, pro- 
nounce, give, hand over. (Re- 
tain.) 

demonstrate, prove, show, exhib- 
it, illustrate. 

depart, leave, quit, decamp, re- 
tire, withdraw, vanish. (Re- 
main.) 

deprive, strip, bereave, despoil, 
rob, divest. 

depute, appoint, commission, 
charge, intrust, delegate, au- 
thorize, accredit. 

derision, scorn, contempt, con- 
tumely, disrespect. 

derivation, origin, source, begin- 
ning, cause, etymology, root. 

describe, delineate, portray, ex- 
plain, illustrate, define, picture. 

desecrate, profane, secularize, 
misuse, abuse, pollute. (Keep 
holy.) 

deserve, merit, earn, justify, win. 

design, «., delineation, sketch, 
drawing, cunning, artfulness, 
contrivance. 

desirable, expedient, advisable, 
valuable, acceptable, proper* 
judicious, beneficial, profitable, 
good. 

desire, n., longing, affection, crav- 
ing. 

desist, cease, stop, discontinue, 
drop, abstain, forbear. (Contin- 
ue, persevere.) 

desolate, bereaved, forlorn, for- 
saken, deserted, wild, waste, 
bare, bleak, lonely. (Pleasant, 
happy.) 

desperate, wild, daring, auda- 
cious, determined, reckless. 

despised, degraded, worthless. 
(Admired.) 

destiny, fate, decree, doom, end. 

destructive, detrimental, hurtful, 
noxious, injurious, deleterious, 
baleful, baneful, subversive. 
(Creative.) 

desuetude, disuse, discontinuance. 
(Maintenance.) 



194 



BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 



desultory, rambling, discursive, 
loose, unmethodical, superficial, 
unsettled, erratic, fitful. (Thor- 
ough.) 

detail, tt. f particular, specifica- 
tion, minutiae. 

detail, v., particularize, enume- 
rate, specify. (Generalize.) 

deter, warn, stop, dissuade, ter- 
rify, scare. (Encourage.) 

detriment, loss, harm, injury, de- 
terioration. (Benefit.) 

develop, unfold, amplify, expand, 
enlarge. 

deviee, artifice, expedient, contri- 
vance. 

devoid, void, wanting, destitute, 
unendowed, unprovided. (Full, 
complete.) 

devoted, attached, fond, absorbed, 
dedicated. 

dictate, prompt, suggest, enjoin, 
order, command. 

dictatorial, imperative, imperi- 
ous, domineering, arbitrary, 
tyrannical, overbearing. (Sub- 
missive.) 

die, expire, depart, perish, de- 
cline, languish, wane, sink, 
fade, decay. 

diet, foods, victuals, nourish- 
ment, nutriment, sustenance, 
fare. 

difference, separation, disagree- 
ment, discord, dissent, es- 
trangement, variety. 

different, various, manifold, di- 
verse, unlike, separate, distinct. 
(Similar.) 

difficult, hard, intricate, Involved, 
perplexing, obscure, unmanage- 
able. (Easy.) 

diffuse, discursive, prolix, di- 
luted, copious. 

dignify, aggrandize, elevate, In- 
vest, exalt, advance, promote, 
honor. (Degrade.) 

dilate, stretch, widen, expand, 
swell, distend, enlarge, descant, 
expatiate. 

dilatory, tardy, procrastinating, 
behindhand, lagging, dawdling. 
(Prompt.) 

diligence, care, assiduity, atten- 
tion, heed, industry. (Negli- 
gence.) 

diminish, lessen, reduce, con- 
tract, curtail, retrench. (In- 
crease.) 

disability, unfitness, incapacity. 

discern, descry, observe, recog- 
nize, see, discriminate, separ- 
ate, perceive. 

discipline, order, strictness, train- 



ing, coercion, punishment, or- 
ganization. (Confusion, demo- 
ralization.) 

discover, make known, find, in- 
vent, contrive, expose, reveal. 

discreditable, shameful, disgrace- 
ful, scandalous, disreputable. 
(Creditable.) 

discreet, cautious, prudent, wary, 
judicious. (Indiscreet.) 

discrepancy, disagreement, differ- 
ence, variance. (Agreement.) 

discrimination, acuteness, dis- 
cernment, judgment, caution. 

disease, complaint, malady, dis- 
order, ailment, sickness. 

disgrace, n., disrepute, reproach, 
dishonor, shame, odium. (Hon- 
or.) 

disgrace, v., debase, degrade, de- 
fame, discredit. (Exalt.) 

disgust, dislike, distaste, loath- 
ing, abomination, abhorrence. 
(Admiration.) 

dishonest, unjust, fraudulent, un- 
fair, deceitful, cheating, decep- 
tive, wrongful. (Honest.) 

dismay, v., terrify, frighten, 
scare, daunt, appal, dishearten. 
(Encourage.) 

dismay, n„ terror, dread, fear, 
fright. (Assurance.) 

dismiss, send off. discharge, dis- 
card, banish. (Retain.) 

dispel, scatter, drive away, dis- 
perse, dissipate. (Collect.) 

display, show, spread out, ex- 
hibit, expose. (Hide.) 

dispose, arrange, place, order, 
give, bestow. 

dispute, v., argue, contest, con- 
tend, question, impugn. (As- 
sent.) 

dispute, n., argument, debate, 
controversy, quarrel, disagree- 
ment. (Harmony.) 

dissent, disagree, differ, vary. 
(Assent.) 

distinct, clear, plain, obvious, dif- 
ferent, separate. (Obscure, in- 
distinct.) 

distinguish, perceive, discern, 
mark out, divide, discriminate. 

distinguished, famous, glorious, 
far-famed, noted, illustrious, 
eminent, celebrated. (Obscure, 
unknown, ordinary.) 

distract, perplex, bewilder. 
(Calm, concentrate.) 

distribute, allot, share, dispense, 
apportion, deal. (Collect.) 

disturb, derange, discompose, 
agitate, rouse, interrupt, con- 
fuse, trouble, annoy, vex, wor- 
ry. (Pacify, quiet.) 



ANTONYMS AND SYNONYMS 



195 



disuse, discontinuance, abolition, 
desuetude. (Use.) 

divide, part, separate, distribute, 
deal out, sever, sunder. 

divine, godlike, holy, heavenly, 
sacred, a parson, clergyman, 
minister. 

do, effect, make, perform, accom- 
plish, finish, transact. 

docile, tractable, teachable, com- 
pliant, tame. (Stubborn.) 

doctrine, tenet, article of belief, 
creed, dogma, teaching. 

doleful, dolorous, woebegone, 
rueful, dismal, piteous. (Joy- 
ous.) 

doom, n. t sentence, verdict, judg- 
ment, fate, lot, destiny. 

doubt, n., uncertainty, suspense, 
hesitation, scruple, ambiguity. 
(Certainty.) 

draw, pull, haul, drag, attract, 
inhale, sketch, describe. 

dread, n. t fear, horror, terror, 
alarm, dismay, awe. (Bold- 
ness, assurance.) 

dreadful, fearful, frightful, 
shocking, awful, horrible, hor- 
rid, terrific. 

drees, «., clothing, attire, apparel, 
garments, costume, garb, liv- 
ery. 
drift, purpose, meaning, scope, 

aim, tendency, direction. 
droll, funny, laughable, comic, 
whimsical, queer, amusing. 
(Solemn.) 
drown, inundate, swamp, sub- 
merge, overwhelm, engulf. 
dry, a., arid, parched, lifeless, 
dull, tedious, uninteresting, 
meagre. (Moist, interesting, 
succulent.) 
due, owing to, attributable to, 
just, fair, proper, debt, right 
dull, stupid, gloomy, sad, dismal, 

commonplace. (Bright.) 
dunce, simpleton, fool, ninny, 

idiot. (Sage.) 
durable, lasting, permanent, 
abiding, continuing. (Ephem- 
eral, perishable.) 
dwell, stay, stop, abide, sojourn, 

linger, tarry. 
dwindle, pine, waste, diminish, 
decrease, fall off. (Grow.) 

B 
eager, hot, ardent, impassioned, 

forward, impatient. (Diffident.) 
earn, acquire, obtain, win, gain, 

achieve 
earnest, i, ardent, serious, grave, 

solemn, warm. (Trifling.) 
earnest, w., pledge, pawn. 
ease, «., comfort, rest. (Worry.) 



ease, v., calm, alleviate, allay, 
mitigate, appease, assuage, pa- 
cify, disburden, rid. (Annoy, 
worry.) 
easy, light, comfortable, uncon- 
strained. (Difficult, hard.) 
eccentric, irregular, anomalous, 
singular, odd, abnormal, way- 
ward, particular, strange. 
(Regular, ordinary.) 
economical, sparing, saving, pro- 
vident, thrifty, frugal, careful, 
niggardly. (Wasteful.) 
edge, border, brink, rim, brim, 

margin, verge. 
efface, blot out, expunge, obli- 
terate, wipe out, cancel, erase, 
effect, «., consequence, result, is- 
sue, event, execution, opera- 
tion. 
effect, v., accomplish, fulfill, real- 
ize., achieve, execute, operate, 
complete. 
effective, efficient, operative, serv- 
iceable. (Vain, ineffectual.) 
efficacy, efficiency, energy, agen- 
cy, instrumentality. 
efficient, effectual, effective, com- 
petent, capable, able, fitted, 
eliminate, drive out, expel, thrust 
out, eject, east out, oust, dis- 
lodge, banish, proscribe. 
eloquence, oratory, rhetoric, dec- 
lamation. 
elucidate, make plain, explain, 

clear up, illustrate. 
elude, evade, escape, avoid, shun. 
embarrass, perplex, entangle, 

distress, trouble. (Assist.) 
embellish, adorn, decorate, be- 
deck, beautify, deck. (Disfig- 
ure.) 
embolden, inspirit, animate, en- 
courage, cheer, urge, impel, 
stimulate. (Discourage.) 
eminent, distinguished, Bignal, 
conspicuous, noted, prominent, 
elevated, renowned, famous, 
glorious, illustrious. (Obscure, 
unknown.) 
emit, give out, throw out, ex- 
hale, discharge, vent. 
emotion, perturbation, agitation, 
trepidation, tremor, mental 
conflict. 
employ, occupy, busy, take up 

with, engross. 
employment, business, avocation, 
engagement, office, function, 
trade, profession, occupation, 
calling, vocation. 
encompass, v., encircle, surround, 

gird, beset. 
encounter, attack, conflict, com- 
bat, assault, onset, engagement, 
battle, action. 



196 



BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 



encourage, countenance, sanction, 
support, foster, cherish, in- 
spirit, embolden, animate, 
cheer, incite, urge, impel, stim- 
ulate. (Deter.) 
end, n. f aim, object, purpose, re- 
sult, conclusion, upshot, close, 
expiration, termination, ex- 
tremity, sequel. 
endeavor, attempt, try, essay, 

strive, aim. 
endurance, continuation, dura- 
tion, fortitude, patience, resig- 
nation. 
endure, v., last, continue, sup- 
port, bear, sustain, suffer, 
brook, submit to, undergo. 
(Perish.) 
enemy, foe, antagonist, adver- 
sary, opponent. (Friend.) 
energetic, industrious, effectual, 
efficacious, powerful, binding, 
stringent, forcible, nervous. 
(Lazy.) 
engage, employ, busy, occupy, at- 
tract, invite, allure, entertain, 
engross, take up, enlist. 
engross, absorb, take up, busy, 

occupy, engage, mobilise. 
engVLll, swallow up, absorb, im- 
bibe, drown, submerge, bury, 
entomb, overwhelm. 
enjoin, order, ordain, appoint, 

prescribe. 
enjoyment, pleasure, gratifica- 
tion. (Grief, sorrow, sadness.) 
enlarge, increase, extend, aug- 
ment, broaden, swell. (Dimin- 
ish.) 
enlighten, illumine, illuminate, 
instruct, inform. (Befog, be- 
cloud.) 
enliven, cheer, vivify, stir up, 
animate, inspire, exhilarate. 
(Sadden, quiet.) 
enmity, animosity, hostility, ill- 
will, maliciousness. (Friend- 
ship.) 
enormous, gigantic, colossal, 
huge, vast, immense, prodigi- 
ous. (Insignificant.) 
enough, sufficient, plenty, abund- 
ance. (Want.) 
enraged, infuriated, raging, 

wrathful. (Pacified.) 
enrapture, enchant, fascinate, 
charm, captivate, bewitch. 
(Repel.) 
enroll, enlist, list, register, rec- 
ord. 
enterprise, undertaking, endeav- 
or, venture, energy, 
enthusiasm, earnest devotion, 
zeal, ardor. (Ennui, lukewarm- 
ness.) 



enthusiast, fanatic, visionary. 
equal, equable, even, like, alike, 

uniform. (Unequal.) 
eradicate, root out, extirpate, ex- 
terminate. 
erroneous, incorrect, inaccurate, 
inexact. (Exact.) 

error, blunder, mistake. (Truth.) 

especially, chiefly, particularly, 
principally. (Generally.) 

essay, dissertation, tract, treatise. 

establish, build up, confirm. 
(Overthrow.) 

esteem, regard, respect. (Con- 
tempt.) 

estimate, appraise, appreciate, es- 
teem, compute, rate. 

estrangement, abstraction, aliena- 
tion. 

eternal, endless, everlasting. (Fi- 
nite.) 

evade, equivocate, prevaricate. 

oven, level, plain, smooth. (Un- 
even.) 

event, accident, adventure, inci- 
dent, occurrence. 

evil, ill, harm, mischief, misfor- 
tune. (Good.) 

exact, nice, particular, punctual. 
(Inexact.) 

exalt, ennoble, dignify, raise. 
(Humble.) 

examination, investigation, in- 
quiry, research, search, scru- 
tiny. 

exceed, excel, outdo, surpass, 
transcend. (Fall short.) 

exceptional, uncommon, rare, ex- 
traordinary. (Common.) 

excite, awaken, provoke, rouse, 
stir up. (Lull.) 

excursion, jaunt, ramble, tour, 
trip. 

execute, fulfill, perform. 

exempt, free, cleared. (Subject.) 

exercise, practice. 

exhaustive, thorough, complete. 
(Cursory.) 

exigency, emergency. 

experiment, proof, trial, test. 

explain, expound, interpret, illus- 
trate, elucidate. 
express, declare, signify, utter, 

extend, reach, stretch. (Abridge.) 
extravagant, lavish, profuse, pro- 
digal. (Parsimonius.) 

F 

fable, apologue, novel, romance, 
tale. 

face, visage, countenance. 

facetious, pleasant, jocular, jo- 
cose. (Serious.) 

factor, agent. 



ANTONYMS AND SYNONYMS 



197 



fail, to fall short, be deficient 
(Accomplish.) 

faint, feeble, languid. (Forcible.) 

fair, clear. (Stormy.) 
fair, equitable, honest, reason- 
able. (Unfair.) 

faith, creed. (Unbelief, infidel- 
ity. 

faithful, true, loyal, constant. 
(Faithless.) 

faithless, perifidious, treacherous. 
(Faithful.) 

fail, drop, drcop, sink, tumble. 
(Rise.) 

fame, renown, reputation. 

famous, celebrated, renowned, il- 
lustrious. (Obscure.) 

fanciful, capricious, fantastical, 
whimsical. 

fancy, imagination. 

fast, rapid, quick, fleet, expedi- 
tious. ( Slow.) 

fatigue, weariness, lassitude. 
(Vigor.) 

fear, timidity, timorousness. 
(Bravery.) 

feeling, sensation, sense. 

feeling, sensibility, susceptibility. 
(Insensibility.) 

ferocious, fierce, savage, wild, 
barbarous. (Mild.) 

fertile, fruitful, prolific, plente- 
ous, productive. (Sterile.) 

fiction, falsehood, fabrication. 
(Fact.) 

figure, allegory, emblem, meta- 
phor, symbol, picture, type. 

find, descry, discover, espy. 
(Lose, overlook.) 

fine, a., delicate, nice. (Coarse.) 

fine, w., forfeit, forfeiture, mulct, 
penalty. 

fir©, glow, warmth, heat. 

firm, constant, solid, steadfast, 
fixed, stable. (Weak.) 

first, foremost, chief, earliest. 
(Last.) 

fit, accommodate, adapt, adjust, 
suit. 

fix, determine, establish, settle, 
limit. 

flame, blase, flare, flash, glare. 

fiat, level, even. 

fiexifole, pliant, pliable, ductile, 
supple. (Inflexible.) 

Sourish, prosper, thrive. (De- 
cay.) 

fluctuating, wavering, hesitating, 
oscillating, vacillating, change. 
(Firm, steadfast, decided.) 

fluent, flowing, glib, voluble, un- 
embarrassed, ready. (Hesita- 
ting.) 

folks, persons, people, individu- 
als. 



follow, succeed, ensue, imitate, 
copy, pursue. 

follower, partisan, disciple, ad- 
herent, retainer, pursuer, suc- 
cessor. 

felly, silliness, foolishness, im- 
becility, weakness. (Wisdom.) 

fond, enamored, attached, affec- 
tionate. (Distant.) 

fondness, affection, attachment, 
kindness, love. (Aversion.) 

foolhardy, venturesome, incau- 
tious, hasty, adventurous, rash. 
(Cautious.) 

foolish, simple, silly, irrational, 
brainless, imbecile, crazy, ab- 
surd, preposterous, ridiculous, 
nonsensical. (Discreet, wise.) 

fop, dandy, dude, beau, coxcomb, 
puppy, jackanapes. (Gentle- 
man.) 

forbear, abstain, refrain, with- 
hold. 

force, «., strength, vigor, dint, 
might, energy, power, violence, 
army, host. 

force i\, compel. (Persuade.) 

forecast, forethought, foresight, 
premeditation, prognostication. 

forego, quit, relinquish, let go, 
waive. 

foregoing, antecedent, anterior, 
preceding, previous, prior, for- 
mer. 

forerunner, herald, harbinger, 
precursor, omen. 

foresight, forethought, forecast, 
premeditation. 

forge, coin, invent, frame, feign, 
fabricate, counterfeit. 

iorgive t pardon, remit, absolve, 
acquit, excuse, except. 

forlorn, forsaken, abandoned, de- 
serted, desolate, lone, lonesome. 

form, n., ceremony, solemnity, 
observance, rite, figure, shape, 
conformation, fashion, appear- 
ance, representation, semblance. 

form, v., make, create, produce, 
constitute, arrange, fashion, 
mould. 

formal, ceremonious, precise, ex- 
act, stiff, methodical, affected. 
(Informal, natural.) 

former, antecedent, anterior, pre- 
vious, prior, preceding, fore- 
going. 

forsaken, abandoned, forlorn, de- 
serted, desolate, lone, lonesome. 

forthwith, immediately, directly, 
Instantly, instantaneously. 
(Anon.) 

fortitude, endurance, resolution, 
fearlessness, dauntlessness. 

(Weakness.) 



198 



BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 



fortunate, lucky, happy, auspici- 
ous, prosperous, successful. 
(Unfortunate.) 

fortune, chance, fate, luck, doom, 
destiny, property, possession, 
riches. 

foster, cherish, nurse, tend, har- 
bor, nurture. (Neglect.) 

foul, impure, nasty, filthy, dirty, 
unclean, defiled. (Pure, clean.) 

fractious, cross, captious, petu- 
lant, touchy, testy, peevish, 
fietful, splenetic. (Tractable.) 

fragile, brittle, frail, delicate, 
feeble. (Strong.) 

fragments, pieces, scraps, lead- 
ings, chips, remains, remnants. 

frailty, weakness, failing, foible, 
imperfection, fault, blemish. 
(Strength.) 

frame, v., construct, invent, coin, 
fabricate, forge, mold, feign, 
make, compose. 

franchise, right, exemption, im- 
munity, privilege, freedom, suf- 
frage. 

frank, artless, candid, sincere, 
free, easy, familiar, open, in- 
genuous, plain. (Tricky, in- 
sincere.) 

frantic, distracted, mad, furious, 
raving, frenzied. (Quiet, sub- 
dued.) 

fraud, deceit, deception, duplic- 
ity, guile, cheat, imposition. 
(Honesty.) 

freak, fancy, humor, vagary, 
whim, caprice, crotchet. (Pur- 
pose, resolution.) 

free, a., liberal, generous, bounti- 
ful, bounteous, munificent, 
frank, artless, candid, familiar, 
open, independent, unconfined, 
unreserved, unrestricted, ex- 
empt, clear, loose, easy, care- 
less. (Slavish, stingy, artful, 
costly.) 
free, v., release, set free, deliver, 
rescue, liberate, enfranchise, af- 
franchise, emancipate, exempt. 
(Enslave, bind.) 
freedom, liberty, independence, 
unrestraint, familiarity, license, 
franchise, exemption, privilege. 
(Slavery.) 
frequent, often, common, usual, 

general. (Rare.) 
fret, gall, chafe, agitate, Irritate, 

vex. 
friendly, amicable, social, socia- 
ble. (Distant, reserved, cool.) 
frightful, fearful, dreadful, dire, 
direful, terrific, awful, horrible, 
horrid, 
frivolous, trifling, trivial, petty. 
(Serious, earnest.) 



frugal, provident, economical, 
saving. (Wasteful, extrava- 
gant.) 

fruitful, fertile, prolific, produc- 
tive, abundant, plentiful, plen- 
teous. (Barren, sterile.) 

fruitless, vain, useless, idle, abor- 
tive, bootless, unavailing, with- 
out avail. 

frustrate, defeat, foil, balk, dis- 
appoint. 

fulfill, accomplish, effect, com- 
plete. 

fully, completely, abundantly, 
perfectly. 

fulsome, coarse, gross, sickening, 
offensive, rank. (Moderate.) 

furious, violent, boisterous, vehe- 
ment, dashing, sweeping, roll- 
ing, impetuous, frantic, dis- 
tracted, stormy, angry, raging, 
fierce. (Calm.) 

futile, trifling, trivial, frivolous, 
useless. (Effective.) 



gain, «., profit, emolument, ad- 
vantage, benefit, winnings, 
earnings. (Loss.) 

gain, v. y get, acquire, obtain, at- 
tain, procure, earn, win, 
achieve, reap, realize, reach. 
(Lose.) 

gallant, brave, bold, courageous, 
gay, fine, showy, intrepid, he- 
roic, fearless. 

galling, chafing, irritating, vex- 
ing. (Soothing.) 

game, play, pastime, diversion, 
sport, amusement. 

gang, band, horde, company, 
troop, crew. 

gap, breach, chasm, hollow, cav- 
ity, cleft, crevice, rift, chink. 

garnish^ embellish, adorn, beau- 
tify, deck, decorate. 

gather, pick, cull, assemble, mus- 
ter, infer, collect. (Scatter.) 

gaudy, showy, flashy, tawdry, 
gay, glittering, bespangled. 
(Somber.) 

gaunt, emaciated, scraggy, skin- 
ny, meagre, lank, attenuated, 
spare, lean, thin. (Well-fed.) 

gay, cheerful, merry, lively, Jolly, 
sprightly, blithe. (Solemn.) 

generate, form, make, beget, pro- 
duce. 

generation, formation, race, 
breed, stock, kind, age, era. 

generous, beneficent, noble, hon- 
orable, bountiful, liberal, free. 
(Niggardly.) 

genial, cordial, hearty, festive, 
joyous. (Distant, cold.) 



ANTONYMS AND SYNONYMS 



199 



genius, intellect, Invention, tal- 
ent, taste, nature, character, 
adept. 

genteel, refined, polished, fash- 
ionable, polite, well-bred. 
(Boorish.) 

gentle* placid, bland, mild, meek, 
tame, docile. (Rough, un- 
couth.) 

genuine, real, true, unaffected, 
sincere. (False.) 

gesture, attitude, action, posture. 

get, obtain, earn, gain, attain, 
procure, achieve. 

ghastly, pallid, wan, hideous, 
grim, shocking. 

ghost, spectre, sprite, appari- 
tion, shade, phantom. 

gibe, scoff, sneer, flout, jeer, 
mock, taunt, deride. 

giddy, unsteady, flighty, thought- 
less. (Steady.) 

gift, donation, benefaction, grant, 
alms, gratuity, boon, present, 
faculty, talent. (Purchase.) 

gigantic, colossal, huge, enor- 
mous, vast, prodigious, im- 
mense. (Diminutive.) 
impart. 

give, grant, begtow, confer, yield, 

gl&d, pleased, cheerful, joyful, 
gladsome, gratified, cheering. 
(Sad.) 

gleam, glimmer, glance, glitter, 
shine, flash. 

glee, gayety. merriment, mirth, 
joviality, joy, hilarity. (Sor- 
row.) 

glide, slip, slide, run, roll on. 

glimmer, v., gleam, flicker, glit- 
ter. 

glimpse, glance, look, glint. 

glitter, gleam, shine, glisten, glis- 
ter, radiate. 

gloom, cloud, darkness, dimness, 
blackness, dullness, sadness. 
(Light, brightness, joy.) 

gloomy, lowering, lurid, dim, 
dusky, sad, glum. (Bright* 
clear.) 

glorif 7, magnify, celebrate, adore, 
exalt. 

glorious, famous, renowned, dis- 
tinguished, noble, exalted. (In- 
famous.) 

glory, honor, fame, renown, 
splendor, grandeur. (Infamy.) 

glut, gorge, stuff, cram, cloy, sa- 
tiate, block up. 

go, depart, proceed, move, bTItlge, 
stir. 

God, Creator, Lord, Almighty, 
Jehovah, Omnipotence, Provi- 
dence. 

godly, righteous, devout, holy, 
pious, religious. 



good, benefit, weal, advantage 
profit, boon. (Evil.) 

good, a., virtuous, righteous, up- 
right, just, true. (Wicked, 
bad.) 

gorge, glut, fill, crem, stuff, sa- 
tiate. 

gorgeous, superb, grand, magni- 
ficent, splendid. (Plain, sim- 
ple.) 

govern, rule, direct, manage, 
command. 

government, rule, state, control, 
sway. 

graceful, becoming, comely, ele- 
gant, beautiful. (Awkward.) 

gracious, merciful, kindly, bene- 
ficent. 

gradual, slow, progressive. (Sud- 
den.) 

grand, majestic, stately, digni- 
fied, lofty, elevated, exalted, 
splendid, gorgeous, superb, 
magnificent, sublime, pompous. 
(Shabby.) 

grant, bestow, Impart, give, yield, 
cede, allow, confer, invest. 

grant, gift, boon, donation. 

graphic, forcible, telling, pictur- 
esque, vivid, pictorial. 

grasp, catch, seize, gripe, clasp, 
grapple. 

grateful, agreeable, nleasing, wel- 
come, thankful. (Harsh.) 

gratification, enjoyment, pleas- 
ure, delight, reward. (Disap- 
pointment.) 

grave, a., serious, senate, solemn* 
sober, pressing, heavy. (Gid- 
dy.) 

gray©, n., tomb, sepulchure, vault. 

great, big, huge, large, majestic, 
vast, grand, noble, augugt 
(Small.) 

greediness, avidity, eagerness, 
voracity. (Generosity.) 

grief, affliction, sorrow, trial, 
woe, tribulation. (Joy.) 

grieve, mourn, lament, sorrow, 
pain, hurt, wound, bewail. (Re- 
joice.) 

grievous, painful, afflicting, 
heavy, baleful, unhappy. 

grind, crush, oppress, grate, har- 
ass, afflict. 

grisly, terrible, hideous, grim, 
ghastly, dreadful. (Pleasing.) 

gross, coarse, outrageous, un- 
seemly, shameful, indelicate, 
(Delicate.) 

group, assembly, cluster, collec- 
tion, clump, order, class. 

grovel, crawl, cringe, fawn, 
sneak. 

grow, increase, vegetate, expand, 
advance. (Decay, diminution.) 



200 



BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 



grewl, grumble, snarl, murmur, 
complain. 

grudge, malice, rancor, spite, 
pique, hatred, aversion. 

gruff, rough, rugged, blunt, rude, 
harsh, surly, bearish. (Pleas- 
ant.) 

guile, deceit, fraud. (Candor.) 

guiltless, harmless, innocent. 

guilty, culpable, sinful, criminal. 



habit, custom, practice. 

hail, accost, address, greet, Ml- 
ute, welcome. 

happiness, beatitude, blessedness, 
bliss, felicity. (Unhappinesa.) 

harbor, haven, port. 

hard, firm, solid. (Soft.) 

hard, arduous, difficult. (Easy.) 

harm, injury, hurt, wrong, inflic- 
tion. (Benefit.) 

harmless, safe, innocuous, inna- 
cent. (Hurtful.) 

harsh, rough, rigorous, sever©, 
gruff, morose. (Gentle.) 

hasten, accelerate, dispatch, ex- 
pedite, speed. (Delay.) 

hasty, hurried, ill-advised. (De- 
liberate.) 

hateful, odious, detestable. (Lov- 
able). 

hatred, enmity, ill-will, rancor. 
(Friendship.) 

haughtiness, arrogance, pride. 
(Modesty.) 

haughty, arrogant, disdainful, 
supercilious, proud. 

hazard, risk, venture. 

healthy, salubrious, salutary, 
wholesome. (Unhealthy.) 

heap, accumulate, amass, pile, 

hearty, a., cordial, sincere, warm. 
(Insincere.) 

heavy, burdensome, ponderous* 
weighty. (Light.) 

heed, care, attention. 

heighten, enhance, exalt, elevate, 
raise. 

heinous, atrocious, flagitious, fla- 
grant. (Venial.) 

help, aid, assist, relieve, succor. 
(Hinder.) 

heretic, sectary, sectarian, schis- 
matic, dissenter, non-conform- 
ist. 

hesitate, falter, stammer, stutter. 

hideous, grim, ghastly, grisly. 
(Beautiful.) 

high, lofty, tall, elevated. (Deep.) 

hinder, impede, obstruct, pre- 
vent. (Help.) 

Met, allude, refer, suggest, inti- 
mate, insinuate. 



held, detain, keep, retain. 

holiness, sanctity, piety, sacred- 
ness. 

hely, devout, pious, religious. 

homely, plain, ugly, coarse. 
(Beautiful.) 

honesty, integrity, probity, up- 
rightness. (Dishonesty.) 

honor, v., respect, reverence, es- 
teem. (Dishonor.) 

hepe, - confidence, expectation, 
trust. 

hepeless, desperate. 

hot, ardent, burning, fiery. 
(Cold.) 

however, nevertheless, notwith- 
standing, yet. 

humble, mcdest, bUDmissivo, 
plain, unostentatious, simple. 
(Haughty.) 

humble, degrade, humiliate, mor- 
tify, abase. (Exalt.) 

humor, mood, temper. 

hunt, seek, chase. 

hurtful, noxious, pernicious. 
(Beneficial.) 

husbandry, cultivation, tillage. 

hypocrite, dissembler, impostor, 
canter. 

hypothesis, theory, supposition. 



idea, thought, imagination. 

ideal, imaginary, fancied. (Ac- 
tual.) 

idle, indolent, lasy. (Indus- 
trious.) 

ignominious, shameful, scandal- 
ous, infamous. (Honorable.) 

ignominy, shame, disgrace, oblo- 
quy, infamy, reproach. 

ignorant, unlearned, illiterate, 
uninformed, unedueated. 
(Knowing.) 

ill, «., evil, wickedness, misfor- 
tune, mischief, harm. (Good.) 

ill, a., sicfc, indisposed, unwell, 
diseased. (Well.) 

ill-tempered, crabbed, sour, surly, 
acrimonious. (Good-natured.) 

ill-will, enmity, hatred, antipa- 
thy. (Good-will.) 

Illegal, unlawful, illicit, contra- 
band, illegitimate. (Legal.) 

illimitable, boundless, immeasur- 
able, unlimited, infinite. 

illiterate, unlettered, unlearned, 
untaught, uninstructed. 
(Loomed, educated.) 

illusion, fallacy, deception, 
phantasm. 

Illusory, imaginary, chimerical, 
visionary. (Real.) 

illustrate, explain, elucidate, 
clear. 



ANTONYMS AND SYNONYMS 



201 



illustrious, celebrated, noble, 
eminent, famous, renowned. 
(Obscure.) 

image, likeness, picture, rep- 
resentation, effigy. 

imaginary, ideal, fanciful, il- 
lusory. (Real.) 

imagine, conceive, fancy, ap- 
prehend, think, presume. 

imbecility, silliness, senility, 
dotage. 

imitate, copy, ape, mimic, mock, 
counterfeit. 

immaculate, unspotted, spotless, 
unsullied. (Soiled.) 

immediate, pressing, Instant, 
next, proximate. 

immediately, instantly, forth- 
with, directly, presently. 

immense, vast, enormous, hug©, 
prodigious, monstrous. 

immunity, privilege, prerogative, 
exemption. 

impair, injure, diminish, de- 
crease. 

impart, reveal, divulge, disclose, 
discover, bestow, afford. 

impartial, just, equitable, unbi- 
ased. (Partial.) 

impassioned, glowing, burning, 
fiery, vehement, intense. 

impeach, accuse, charge, ar- 
raign, censure. 

impede, hinder, retard, obstruct, 
prevent. (Help.) 

impediment, obstruction, hin- 
drance, obstacle, barrier. (Aid.) 

impel, animate, induce, incite, in- 
stigate, embolden. (Retard.) 

impending, imminent, threaten- 
ing. 

imperative, commanding, despo- 
tic, authoritative. 

imperfection, fault, blemish, de 
feet, vice. 

imperil, endanger, hazard, jeop- 
ardize. 

imperious, commanding, dictator- 
ial, authoritative, imperative, 
lordly, domineering, overbear- 
ing. 

impertinent, intrusive, meddling, 
officious rude, saucy, impu- 
dent, insolent. 

impetuous, violent, boisterous, 
furious, vehement. (Calm.) 

impious, profane, irreligious, 
godless. (Reverent.) 

implicate, involve, entangle, em- 
barrass, compromise. 

imply, involve, comprise, infold, 
import., denote, signify. 

importance, signification, signifi- 
cance, avail, consequence, 
weight, gravity, moment. 

imposing, impressive, striking, 



majestic, august, noble, grand. 
(Insignificant.) 

impotence, weakness, incapacity, 
infirmity, frailty, feebleness. 
(Power.) 

impotent, weak, feeble, helpless, 
enfeebled, nerveless, infirm. 
(Strong.) 

Impressive, stirring, forcible, ex- 
citing, affecting, moving. 

imprison, incarcerate, shut up, 
immure, confine. (Liberate.) 

imprisonment, captivity, durance. 

improve, amend, better, mend, re- 
form, rectify, ameliorate, apply, 
use, employ. (Deteriorate.) 

improvident, careless, incauti- 
ous, imprudent, prodigal, 
wasteful, reckless, rash. (Thrif- 
ty.) 

impudence, assurance, imperti- 
nence, confidence, insolence, 
rudeness. 

impudent, saucy, brazen, bold, 
impertinent, forward, rude, in- 
solent, immodest, shameless. 

impulse, incentive, incitement, 
motive, instigation. 

impulsive, rash, hasty, forcible, 
violent. (Deliberate.) 

imputation, blame, censure, re- 
proach, charge, accusation. 

inadvertency, error, oversight, 
blunder inattention, careless- 
ness, negligence. 

incentive, motive, inducement, 
impulse. 

Incite, instigate, excite, provoke, 
stimulate, encourage, urge, im- 
pel. 

inclination, leaning, slope, dis- 
position, tendency, bent, bias, 
affection, attachment, wish, lik- 
ing, desire. (Aversion.) 

incline v., slope, lean, slant, tend, 
bend, turn, bias, dispose. 

inclose, surround, shut in, fence 
in, cover, wrap. 

include, comprehend, comprise, 
contain, embrace, take in. 

incommode, annoy, plague, mo- 
lest, disturb, inconvenience, 
trouble. (Accommodate.) 

incompetent, incapable, unable, 
inadequate, insufficient. (Com- 
petent.) 

increase, v., extend, enlarge, aug- 
ment, dilate, expand, amplify, 
raise, enhance, aggravate, mag- 
nify grow. (Diminish.) 

increase, n., augmentation, acces- 
sion, addition, enlargement, ex- 
tension. (Decrease.) 

incumbent, obligatory. 

indefinite, vague, uncertain, un- 
settled, loose, lax. (Definite.) 



202 



BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 



indicate, point out, show, mark. 

indifference, apathy, carelessness, 
listlessness, insensibility. (Ap- 
plication, assiduity.) 

indigence, want, neediness, pe- 
nury, poverty, destitution, pri- 
vation. (Affluence.) 

indignation, anger, wrath, ire, 
resentment. 

indignity, insult, affront, outrage, 
obloquy, opprobrium, reproach, 
ignominy. (Honor.) 

indiscriminate, promiscuous, in- 
distinct, chance, confused. (Se- 
lect, chosen.) 

indispensable, essential, neces- 
sary, requisite, expedient. (Un- 
necessary, supernumerary.) 

indisputable, undeniable, un- 
doubted, incontestable, indubi- 
table, unquestionable, sure, in- 
fallible. 

indorse, ratify, confirm, super- 
scribe. 

indulge, foster, cherish, fondle. 
(Deny.) 

ineffectual, vain, useless, unavail- 
ing, fruitless, abortive, inopera- 
tive. (Effective.) 

inequality, disparity, dispropor- 
tion, dissimilarity, unevenness. 
(Equality.) 

inevitable, unavoidable, not to 
be avoided, certain. 

infamous, scandalous, shameful, 
ignominious, opprobrious, dis- 
graceful. (Honorable.) 

Inference, deduction, corollary, 
conclusion, consequence. 

infernal, diabolical, fiendish, dev- 
ilish, hellish. 

infest, annoy, plague, harass, 
disturb. 

infirm, weak, feeble, enfeebled. 
(Robust.) 

inflame, anger, irritate, enrage, 
chafe, incense, nettle, aggra- 
vate, embitter, exasperate. (Al- 
lay, soothe.) 

influence, v., bias, sway, preju- 
dice, prepossess. 

influence, n., credit, favor, repu- 
tation, character, weight, au- 
thority, sway, ascendency. 

infringe, invade, intrude, contra- 
vene, break, transgress, vio- 
late. 

ingenuous, artless, candid, gener- 
ous, open, frank, plain, sincere, 
(Crafty.) 

Inhuman, cruel, brutal, savage, 
barbarous, ruthless, merciless, 
ferocious. (Humane.) 
Iniquity, injustice, wrong, griev- 



injure, damage, hurt, deteriorate, 
wrong, aggrieve, harm, spoil, 
mar, sully. (Benefit.) 

injurious, hurtful, baneful, per- 
nicious, deleterious, noxious, 
prejudicial, wrongful, damag- 
ing. (Beneficial.) 

injustice, wrong, iniquity, griev- 
ance. (Right.) 

innocent, guiltless, sinless, harm- 
less, inoffensive, - innoxious. 
(Guilty.) 

innocuous, harmless, safe, inno- 
cent. (Hurtful.) 

inordinate, intemperate, irregu- 
lar, disorderly, excessive, im- 
moderate. (Moderate.) 

inquiry, investigation, examina- 
tion, research, scrutiny, dis- 
quisition, question, query, in- 
terrogation. 

inquisitive, prying, peeping, cu- 
rious, peering. 

insane, mad, deranged, delirious, 
demented. (Sane.) 

insanity, madness, mental aber- 
ration, lunacy, delirium. (San- 
ity.) 

insinuate, hint, intimate, suggest, 
infuse, introduce, ingratiate. 

insipid, dull, flat, mawkish, taste- 
less, vapid, inanimate, lifeless. 
(Bright, sparkling.) 

Insolent, rude, saucy, pert, im- 
pertinent, abusive, scurrilous, 
opprobrious, insulting, offen- 
sive. 

inspire, , animate, exhilarate, en- 
liven, cheer, breathe, inhale. 

instability, mutability, fickleness, 
mutableness, wavering. (Stabil- 
ity, firmness.) 

instigate, stir up, persuade, ani- 
mate, incite, urge, stimulate, 
encourage. 

instil, implant, inculcate, infuse, 

521— -Sherwood— Feb. 20-F Payne 
insinuate. 

instruct, inform, teach, educate, 
enlighten, initiate. 

instrumental, conducive, assis- 
tant, helping, ministerial. 

insufficiency, inadequacy, incom- 
petency, incapability, deficien- 
cy, lack. 

insult, affront, outrage, indig- 
nity, blasphemy. (Honor.) 

insulting, insolent, rude, saucy, 
impertinent, abusive. 

integrity, uprightness, honesty, 
probity, entirety, entireness, 
completeness, rectitude, purity. 
(Dishonesty.) 

Intellect, understanding, sense, 
brains, mind, intelligence, abil- 
ity, talent, genius. (Body.) 



ANTONYMS AND SYNONYMS 



203 



intellectual, mental, ideal, meta- 
physical. (Brutal.) 

intelligible, clear, obvious, plain, 
distinct. (Abstruse.) 

Intemperate, immoderate, exces- 
sive, drunken, nimious, inordi- 
nate. (Temperate.) 

intense, ardent", earnest, glowing, 
fervid, burning, vehement. 

intent, design, purpose, intention, 
drift, view, aim, purport, mean- 
ing. 

intercourse, commerce, connec- 
tion, intimacy, acquaintance. 

interdict, forbid, prohibit, in- 
hibit, proscribe, debar, re- 
strain from. (Allow.) 

interfere, meddle, intermeddle, 
interpose. 

interminable, endless, intermin- 
ate, infinite, unlimited, illimita- 
ble, boundless, limitless. (Brief, 
concise.) 

interpose, intercede, arbitrate, 
meditate, interfere, meddle. 

interpret, explain, expound, 
elucidate, unfold, decipher. 

intimate, hint, suggest, insinu- 
uate, express, signify, impart, 
tell. 

intimidate, dishearten, alarm, 
frighten, scare, appal, daunt, 
cow, browbeat. (Encourage.) 

intolerable, insufferable, unbear- 
able, insupportable, unendura- 
ble. 

intrepid, bold, brave, daring, 
fearless, dauntless, undaunted, 
courageous, valorous, valiant, 
heroic, gallant, chivalrous, 
doughty. (Cowardly, faint- 
hearted.) 

intrigue, plot, cabal, conspir- 
acy, combination, artifice, ruse, 
amour. 

intrinsic,, real, true, genuine, 
sterling, native, natural. (Ex- 
trinsic.) 

Invalidate, quash, cancel, over- 
throw, vacate, nullify, annul. 

invasion, incursion, irruption, in- 
road, aggression, raid, fray. 

invective, abuse, reproach, rail- 
ing, censure, sarcasm, satire. 

invent, devise, contrive, frame, 
find out, discover, design. 

investigation, examination, 
search, inquiry, research, scru- 
tiny. 

inveterate, confirmed, chronic, 
malignant. (Inchoate.) 

invidious, envious, hateful, odi- 
ous, malignant. 

invigorate, brace, harden, nerve, 
strengthen, fortify. (Enervate.) 

Invincible, unconquerable, im- 



pregnable, insurmountable. 

invisible, unseen, imperceptible, 
impalpable, unperceivable. 

invite, ask, call, bid, request, al- 
lure, attract, solicit. 

invoke, invocate, call upon, ap- 
peal, refer, implore, beseech. 

involve, implicate, entangle, com- 
promise, envelop. 

irksome, wearisome, tiresome, 
tedious, annoying. (Pleasant.) 

irony, sarcasm, satire, ridicule, 
raillery. 

irrational, foolish, silly, imbecile, 
brutish, absurd, ridiculous, 
(Rational.) 

irregular, eccentric, anomalous, 
inordinate, intemperate. (Reg- 
ular.) 

irreligious, profane, godless, im- 
pious, sacrilegious, desecrating. 

irreproachable, blameless, spot- 
less, irreprovable. 

irresistible, resistless, irrepressi- 
ble. 

irresolute, wavering, undetermin- 
ed, undecided, vacillating. (De- 
termined.) 

irritable, excitable, irascible, sus- 
ceptible, sensitive. (Calm.) 

irritate, aggravate, worry, embit- 
ter, madden, exasperate. 

issue, v., emerge, rise, proceed, 
flow, spring, emanate. 

issue, n., end, upshot, effect, re- 
sult, offspring, progeny. - 
J 

jade, harass, weary, tire, worry. 

jangle, wrangle, conflict, disagree. 

jarring, conflicting, discordant, 
inconsonant, inconsistent. 

jaunt, ramble, excursion, trip. 

jealousy, suspicion, envy. 

jeopard, hazard, peril, endanger. 

jest, joke, sport, divert, make 
game of. 

journey, travel, tour, passage. 

joy, gladness, mirth, delight. 
(Grief.) 

joyful, glad, rejoicing, exultant. 
(Mournful.) 

judge, justice, referee, arbitrator. 

judgment, discernment, discrimi- 
nation, understanding. 

justice, equity, right. Justice is 
right as established by law; 
equity according to the circum- 
stances of each particular case. 
(Injustice.) 

justness, accuracy, correctness. 
K 

keep, preserve, save. (Abandon.) 

kill, assassinate, murder, slay. 

kindred, affinity, consanguinity, 
relationship. 

knowledge, erudition, learning, 
science. (Ignorance.) 



204 



BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 



labor, toil, work, .effort, drudg- 
ery. (Idleness.) 

lack, need, deficiency, scarcity, 
insufficiency. (Plenty.) 

lament, mourn, grieve, weep. (Re- 
joice.) 

language, dialect, idiom, speech, 
tongue. 

lascivious, loose, unchaste, lust- 
ful, lewd, lecherous. (Chaste.) 

last, final, latest, ultimate. 
(First.) 

laudable, commendable, praise- 
worthy. (Blameable.) 

laughable, comical, droll, ludi- 
crous. (Serious.) 

lawful, legal, legitimate, licit. 
(Illegal.) 

lead, conduct, guide. (Follow.) 

lean, meager. (Fat.) 

learned, erudite, scholarly. (Ig- 
norant.) 

leave, v., quit, relinquish. 

leave, n., liberty, permission, li- 
cense. (Prohibition.) 

life, existence, animation, spirit, 
vivacity. (Death.) 

lifeless, dead, inanimate. 

lift, erect, elevate, exalt, raise. 
(Lower.) 

light, clear, bright. (Dark.) 

lightness, flightiness, giddiness, 
levity, volatility. (Seriousness.) 

likeness, resemblance, similarity. 
(Unlikeness.) 

linger, lag, loiter, tarry, saunter. 
(Hasten.) 

little, diminutive, small. (Great.) 

livelihood, living, maintenance, 
subsistence, support. 

lively, jocund, sprightly, vivaci- 
ous, merry, sportive. (Slow, 
languid, sluggish.) 

long, extended, extensive. 

(Short.) 

look, appear, seem. 

lose, miss, forfeit. (Gain.) 

loss, detriment, damage, depriva- 
tion. (Gain.) 

loud, clamorous, high-sounding, 
noisy. (Low, quiet.) 

love, affection. (Hatred.) 

low, abject, mean. (Noble.) 

lunacy, derangement, insanity, 
mania, madness. (Sanity.) 

luster, brightness, brilliancy, 
splendor. 

luxuriant, exuberant. (Sparse.) 

M 

machination, plot, intrigue, cabal, 
conspiracy. (Artlessness.) 

mad, crazy, insane, delirious, ra- 
bid, violent, frantic. (Sane, ra- 
tional, quiet.) 



madness, insanity, fury, rage, 
frenzy. 

magisterial, august, - dignified, 
majestic, pompous, stately. 

make, form, create, produce. (De- 

__ stroy.) 

malediction, anathema, curse, 
imprecation, execration. 

malevolent, malicious, virulent, 
malignant. (Benevolent.) 

malice, spite, rancor, ill-feeling, 
ill-will, grudge, animosity. 
(Benignity.) 

malicious, see malevolent. 

manacle, v., shackle, fetter, chain. 
(Free.) 

manage, contrive, concert, direct. 

management, direction, superin- 
tendence, care, economy. 

mangle, tear, lacerate, mutilate, 
cripple, maim. 

mania, madness, insanity, lunacy. 

manifest, a., clear, plain, evident, 
exhibit, display, show. 

manifest, a., clear, plain, evident, 
open, apparent, visible. (Hid- 
den, occult.) 

manifold, several, sundry, vari- 
ous, divers, numerous. 

manly, masculine, vigorous, cour- 
ageous, brave, heroic. (Effemi- 
nate.) 

manner, habit, custom, way, air, 
look, appearance. 

manners, morals, habits, behav- 
ior, carriage. 

mar, spoil, ruin, disfigure. (Im- 
prove.) 

march, tramp, tread, walk, step, 
space. 

margin, edge, rim, border, brink, 
verge. 

mark, n., sign, note, symptom, 
token, indication, trace, vestige, 
track, badge, brand. 

mark, v., impress, print, stamp, 
engrave, note, designate. 

marriage, wedding, nuptials, 
matrimony, wedlock. 

martial, military, warlike, sol- 
dier-like. 

marvel, wonderful, miracle, prod- 
igy. 

marvelous, wondrous, wonderful, 
amazing, miraculous. 

massive, bulky, heavy, weighty, 
ponderous, solid, substantial. 
(Flimsy.) 

mastery, dominion, rule, - sway, 
ascendency, supremacy. 

matchless, unrivaled, unequaled, 
unparalleled, peerless, incom- 
parable, inimitable, surpassing. 
(Common, ordinary.) 

material, a., corporeal, bodily, 
physical, temporal, momentous, 



ANTONYMS AND SYNONYMS 



205 



important. (Spiritual, imma- 
terial.) 

maxim, adage, apothegm, pro- 
verb, saying, by-word, saw. 

meager, poor, lank, emaciated, 
barren, dry, uninteresting. 
(Rich.) 

mean, a., stingy, niggardly, low, 
abject, vile, ignoble, degraded, 
contemptible, vulgar, despica- 
ble. (Generous.) 

mean v., design, purpose, intent, 
contemplate, signify, denote, in- 
dicate. 

meaning, signification, import, 
acceptation, sense, purport. 

medium, organ, channel, instru- 
ment, means. 

medley, mixture, variety, diver- 
sity, miscellany. 

meek, unassuming, mild, gentle. 
(Proud.) 

melancholy, low-spirited, dispiri- 
ant.) 

ted, dreamy, sad. (Jolly, buoy- 
mellow, ripe, mature, soft. (Im- 
mature. ) 

melodious, tuneful, musical, sil- 
ver, dulcet, sweet. (Discor- 
dant.) 

memorable, signal, distinguished, 
marked. 

memorial, monument, memento, 
commemoration. 

memory, remembrance, recollec- 
tion. 

menace, n., threat. 

mend, repair, amend, correct, 
better, ameliorate, improve, 
rectify. 

mention, tell, name, communi- 
cate, impart, divulge, reveal, 
disclose, inform, acquaint. 

merciful, compassionate, lenient, 
clement, tender, gracious, kind. 
(Cruel.) 

merciless, hard-hearted, cruel, 
unmerciful, pitiless, remorse- 
less, unrelenting. (Kind.) 

merriment, mirth, joviality, jol- 
lity, hilarity. (Sorrow.) 

merry, cheerful, mirthful, joyous, 
gay, lively, sprightly, hilarious, 
jovial, blithe, blithesome, spor- 
tive, jolly. (Sad.) 

metaphorical, figurative, allegori- 
cal, symbolical. 

method, way, manner, mode, pro- 
cess, order, rule, regularity, 
system. 

mien, air, look, manner, aspect, 
appearance. 

migratory, roving, strolling, wan- 
dering, vagrant. (Settled, se- 
date, permanent.) 

mimic, imitate, ape, mock. 



mindful, observant, attentive, 
heedful, thoughtful. (Heed- 
less.) 

miscellaneous, promiscuous, in- 
discriminate, mixed. 

mischief, injury, harm, damage, 
evil, hurt, ill. (Benefit.) 

miscreant, caitiff, villain, ruffian. 

miserable, unhappy, wretched, 
distressed, afflicted. (Happy.) 

miserly, stingy, niggardly, avari- 
cious, gripping. 

misery, wretchedness, woe, desti- 
tution, penury, privation, beg- 
gary. (Happiness.) 

misfortune, calamity, disaster, 
mishap, catastrophe. (Good 
luck.) 

miss, omit, lose, fail, miscarry. 

mitigate, alleviate, relieve, dimin- 
ish, abate. (Aggravate.) 

moderate, temperate, abstemious, 
sober, abstinent. (Immoderate.) 

modest, chaste, virtuous, bash- 
ful, reserved. (Immodest.) 

moist, wet, damp, dank, humid. 
(Dry.) 

monotonous, unvaried, dull, undi- 
versified, tiresome. (Varied.) 

monstrous, shocking, dreadful, 
horrible, huge, immense. 

monument, memorial, record, re- 
membrancer, cenotaph. 

mood, humor, disposition, vein, 
temper. 

morbid, sick, ailing, sickly, dis- 
eased, corrupted. (Normal, 
sound.) 

morose, gloomy, sullen, surly, 
fretful, crabbed, crusty. (Joy- 
ous.) 

mortal, deadly, fatal, human. 

motion, proposition, proposal, 
movement. 

motionless, still, stationary, tor- 
pid, stagnant. (Active, mov- 
ing.) 

mount, arise, rise, ascend, soar, 
tower, climb, scale. 

mournful, sad, sorrowful, lugu- 
brious, grievous, doleful, heavy. 
(Happy.) 

move, actuate, impel, induce, 
prompt, instigate, persuade, 
stir, agitate, propel, push. 

multitude, crowd, throng, host, 
mob, swarm. 

murder, v., kill., asassinate, slay, 
massacre, dispatch. 

muse, v., meditate, contemplate, 
reflect, think, cogitate, ponder. 

music, harmony, melody,- sym- 
phony. 

musical, tuneful, melodious, har- 
monious, dulcet, sweet. 

musty, stale, sour, fetid. (Fresh, 
sweet.) 



2G6 



BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 



mute, dumb, silent, speechless. 

rnut.Ti.te, maim, cripple, disable, 
disfigure. 

mutinous, insurgent, seditious, 
tumultuous, turbulent, riotous. 
(Obedient, orderly.) 

mutual, reciprocal, interchanged, 
correlative. (Sole, solitary.) 

mysterious, dark, obscure, hid- 
den, secret, dim, mystic, enig- 
matical, unaccountable. (Open, 
clear.) 

mystify, confuse, perplex, puzzle. 
(Clear, explain.) 
N 

naked, nude, bare, uncovered, 
rude, unclothed, rough, simple. 
(Covered, clad.) 

name, v., denominate, entitle, 
style, designate, term, call, 
christen. 

name, n., appellation, # designa- 
tion, denomination, title, cog- 
nomen, reputation, character, 
fame, credit, repute. 

narrate, tell, relate, detail, re- 
count, describe, enumerate, re- 
hearse, recite. 

nasty, filthy, foul, dirty, unclean, 
indecent, impure, gross, vile. 

nation, people, community, realm, 
state. 

native, indigenous, inborn, ver- 
nacular. 

natural, original, regular, normal, 
bastard. (Unnatural, forced.) 

near, nigh, neighboring, close, 
adjacent, contiguous, intimate. 
(Distant.) 

necessary, needful, expedient, es- 
sential, requisite, indispensable. 
(Useless.) 

necessitate, compel, force, oblige, 

necessity, need, occasion, exigen- 
cy, emergency, urgency, requis- 
ite. 

need, n., necessity, distress, pov- 
erty, indigence, want, penury. 

need, v., require, want, lack. 

neglect, v., disregard, slight, 
omit, overlook. 

neglect, n., omission, failure, de- 
fault, negligence, remissness, 
carelessness, slight. 

neighborhood, environs, vicinity, 
adjacency, nearness, proximity. 

nervous, timid, timorous, shaky. 

new, fresh, recent, novel. (Old.) 

news, tidings, intelligence, in- 
formation. 

nice, exact, accurate, good, par- 
ticular, precise, fine, delicate. 
(Careless, coarse, unpleasant.) 

nimble, active, brisk, lively, alert, 
quick, agile, prompt. (Awk- 
ward.) 



nobility, aristocracy, greatness, 
grandeur, peerage. 

noble, exalted, elevated, illustri- 
ous, great, grand, lofty. (Low.) 

noise, cry, outcry, row, clamor, 
din, uproar, tumult. (Silence.) 

nonsensical, irrational, absurd, 
silly, foolish. (Sensible.) 

notable, plain, evident, remark- 
able, signal, striking, rare. (Ob- 
scure.) 

note, n., token, symbol, mark, 
sign, indication, remark, com- 
ment. 

noted, distinguished, remarkable, 
renowned, eminent. (Obscure.) 

521— Sherwood— Feb. 20- F Payne 

notice, n., advice, notification, in- 
telligence, information. 

notice, v., mark, note, observe, at- 
tend to, regard, heed." 

notify, v., publish, acquaint, ap- 
prise, inform, declare. 

notion, conception, idea, belief, 
opinion, sentiment. 

notorious, conspicuous, open, ob- 
vious, ill-famed. (Unknown.) 

Nourish, nurture, cherish, fos- 
ter, supply. (Starve, famish.) 

nourishment, food, diet, susten- 
ance, nutrition. 

novel, modern, new, fresh, recent, 
unused, strange, rare. (Old.) 

noxious, hurtful, deadly, poison- 
ous, deleterious, baneful. (Ben- 
eficial.) 

nullify, annul, vacate, invalidate, 
repeal, quash, cancel. (Affirm.) 

nutrition, food, diet, nutriment, 
nourishment. 



obdurate, hard, callous, harden- 
ed, unfeeling, insensible. (Trac- 
table, yielding.) 

obedient, compliant, submissive, 
dutiful, respectful. (Obstinate.) 

obese, corpulent, fat, adipose, 
fleshy. (Attenuated.) 

obey, v., conform, comply, sub- 
mit. (Rebel, disobey.) 

object, n., aim, end, purpose, de- 
sign, mark, butt. 

object, v., oppose, except to, con- 
travene impeach, deprecate. 
(Assent.) 

obnoxious, offensive. (Agreeable.) 

obscure, undistinguished, un- 
known. (Distinguished.) 

obstinate, contumacious, head- 
strong, stubborn, obdurate. 
(Yielding.) 

occasion, opportunity. 

offense, affront, misdeed, misde- 
demeanor, transgression, tres- 
pass. 



ANTONYMS AND SYNONYMS 



207 



offensive, insolent, abusive, ob- 
noxious. (Inoffensive.) 

office, charge, function, place. 

(offspring:, issue, progeny. 

old, aged, superannuated, ancient, 
antique, antiquated, obsolete, 
old-fashioned. (Young, new.) 

omen, presage, prognostic. 

opaque, dark. (Bright, trans- 
parent.) 

open, candid, unreserved, clear, 
fair. (Hidden, dark.) 

opinion, notion, view, judgment, 
belief, sentiment. 

opinionated, conceited, egotisti- 
cal. (Modest.) 

oppose, resist, withstand, thwart. 
(Give way.) 

option, choice. 

order, method, rule, system, reg- 
ularity. (Disorder.) 

origin, cause, occasion, source, 
beginning. (End.) 

outlive, survive. 

outward, external, outside, exter- 
ior. (Inner.) 

over, above. (Under.) 

overbalance, outweigh, prepon- 
derate. 

overbear, bear down, overwhelm, 
overpower, subdue. 

overbearing, haughty, proud, ar- 
rogant. (Gentle.) 

loverflow, inundation, deluge. 

overrule, supersede, suppress. 

overspread, overrun, ravage. 

overturn, invert, overthrow, re- 
verse, subvert. (Establish, for- 
tify.) 

overwhelm, crush, defeat, van- 
quish. 



pain, suffering, qualm, pang, 
agony, anguish. (Pleasure.) 

pallid, pale, wan. (Florid.) 

part, division, portion, share, 
fraction. (Whole.) 

particular, exact, distinct, sin- 
gular, odd, strange. (General.) 

patient, passive, submissive, 
meek. (Obdurate.) 

peace, calm, quiet, tranquillity. 
(War, riot, trouble, turbu- 
lence.) 

peaceable, pacific, peaceful, quiet. 
(Troublesome, riotous.) 

penetrate, bore, pierce, perforate. 

penetration, acuteness, sagacity. 
(Dullness.) 

people, nation, persons, folks. 

perceive, note, observe, discern, 
distinguish. 

perception, conception, notion, 
idea. 

peril, danger, pitfall, snare. 
(Safety.) 



permit, allow, tolerate. (Forbid.) 

persuade, allure, entice, prevail 
upon. 

physical, corporeal, bodily, ma- 
terial. (Mental.) 

picture, engraving, print, repre- 
sentation illustration image. 

piteous, doleful, woful, rueful. 
(Joyful.) 

pitiless, see merciless. 

pity, compassion, sympathy. 
(Cruelty.) 

place, n., spot, site, position, 
post, situation, station. 

place, v., order, dispose. 

plain, open, manifest, evident. 
(Secret.) 

play, game, sport, amusement. 
(Work.) 

please, gratify, pacify. (Dis- 
please.) 

pleasure, charm, delight, joy. 
(Pain.) 

plentiful, abundant, ample, co- 
pious, plenteous. (Scarce.) 

poise, balance. 

positive, absolute, peremptory, 
decided, certain. (Negative.) 

possessor., owner, proprietor. 

possible, practical, practicable. 
(Impossible.) 

poverty, penury, indigence, need, 
want. (Wealth.) 

power, authority, force, strength, 
dominion. 

powerful, mighty, potent. 

(Weak.) 

praise, commend, extol, laud. 
(Blame.) 

prayer, entreaty, petition, re- 
quest, suit. 

pretense, n., pretext, subterfuge. 

prevailing, predominant, preva- 
lent, general. (Isolated, spora- 
dic.) 

prevent, obviate, preclude. 

previous, antecedent, introduc- 
tory, preparatory, preliminary. 
(Subsequent.) 

pride, vanity, conceit. (Humil- 
ity.) 

principally, chiefly, mainly, es- 
sentially. 

principle, ground, reason, motive, 
impulse, maxim, rule, rectitude, 
integrity. 

privilege, immunity, advantage, 
favor, prerogative, exemption, 
right, claim. 

probity, rectitude, uprightness, 
honesty, integrity, sincerity, 
soundness. (Dishonesty.) 

problematical, uncertain, doubt- 
ful, dubious, questionable, dis- 
putable, suspicious. (Certain.) 



208 



BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 



prodigious, huge, enormous, vast, 
amazing, astonishing, remark- 
able, astounding, surprising, 
wonderful. (Insignificant.) 

profession, business, trade, occu- 
pation, vocation, office, employ- 
ment, enagement, avowal. 

proffer, volunteer, offer, propose, 
tender. 

profligate, abandoned, dissolute, 
depraved, vicious, degenerate, 
corrupt, demoralized. (Virtu- 
ous.) 

profound, deep, fathomless, pene- 
trating, solemn, abstruse, re- 
condite. (Shallow.) 

profuse, extravagant, prodigal, 
lavish, improvident, excessive, 
copious, plentiful. (Succinct.) 

prolific, productive, generative, 
fertile, fruitful, teeming. (Bar- 
ren.) 

prolix, diffuse, long, prolonged, 
tedious, tiresome, wordy, ver- 
bose, prosaic. (Concise, brief.) 

prominent, eminent, marked, im- 
portant, conspicuous, leading. 
(Obscure.) 

promiscuous, mixed, unarranged 
indiscriminate, mingled. (Se- 
lect.) 

prompt, see punctual. 

prop, v., maintain, sustain, sup- 
port, stay. 

propagate, spread, circulate, dif- 
fuse, disseminate, extend, 
breed, increase. (Suppress.) 

proper, legitimate, right, just, 
fair, equitable, honest, suitable, 
fit, decent, meet, becoming, 
benefitting, adapted, pertinent, 
appropriate. (Wrong.) 

prosper, flourish, succeed, grow 
rich, thrive, advance. (Fail.) 

prosperity, well-being, weal, wel- 
fare, happiness, good luck. 
(Poverty.) 

proxy, agent, representative, sub- 
stitute, delegate, deputy. 

prudence, carefulness, judgment, 
discretion, wisdom. (Indiscre- 
tion.) 

prurient, itching, craving, han- 
kering, longing. 

puerile, youthful, juvenile, boy- 
ish, childish, infantile, trifling, 
weak, silly. (Mature.) 

punctilious, nice, particular, for- 
mal, precise. (Negligent.) 

punctual, exact, precise, nice, 
particular, prompt, timely. (Di- 
latory.) 

putrefy, rot, decompose, corrupt, 
decay. 



puzzle, v., perplex, confound, em- 
barrass, bewilder, confuse, 
pose, mystify. (Enlighten.) 
Q 

quack, impostor, pretender, char- 
latan, empiric, mountebank. 
(Savant.) 

quaint, artful, curious, far-fetch- 
ed, fanciful, odd, singular. 

qualified, competent, fitted, adap- 
ted. (Incompetent.) 

quality, attribute, rank, distinc- 
tion. 

querulous, doubting, complain- 
ing, repining, fretting. (Pa- 
tient.) 

question, query, inquiry, interro- 
gatory. 

quibble, cavil, evade, equivocate, 
prevaricate, shuffle. 

quick, lively, brisk, expeditious, 
impetuous, adroit, fleet, rapid, 
swift, sweeping, dashing, clev- 
er, sharp, ready, prompt, alert, 
nimble, agile, active. (Slow.) 

quote, note, repeat, cite, adduce. 



rabid, mad, furious, raging, fran- 
tic. (Rational.) 

race, course, match, pursuit, ca- 
reer, family, clan, house, ances- 
try, lineage, pedigree. 

rack, agonize, wring, torture, ex- 
cruciate, distress, harass. 
(Soothe.) 

racy, spicy, pungent, smart, spir- 
ited, lively, vivacious. (Dull, in- 
sipid.) 

radiance, splendor, brightness, 
brilliance, brilliancy, lustre, 
lustre, glare. (Dullness.) 

radical, organic, innate, funda- 
mental, original, constitutional, 
inherent, entire, complete. (Su- 
perficial. In a political sense, 
uncompromising ; antonym, 

moderate.) , 

rancid, fetid, rank, stinking, sour, 
yeasty. (Fresh, sweet.) 

rancor, malignity, hatred, hostil- 
ity, antipathy, animosity, enmi- 
ty, ill-will, spite. ( Forgiveness.) 

rank, order, degree, dignity, no- 
bility, consideration. 

ransack, rummage, pillage, over- 
haul, explore, plunder. 

ransom, emancipate, free, unfet- 
ter. 

rant, bombast, fustian, cant. 

rapacious, ravenous, greedy, vo- 
racious, grasping. (Generous.) 

rapt, ecstatic, transported, rav- 
ished, entranced, charmed. 
(Distracted.) 



ANTONYMS AND SYNONYMS 



209 



rapture, ecstasy, transport, de- 
light, bliss. (Dejection.) 
rare, scarce, singular, uncommon. 
rascal, scoundrel, rogue, knave, 

vagabond, scamp. 
rash, hasty, precipitate, fool- 
hardy, adventurous, heedless, 
reckless, careless. (Deliberate.) 
rate, value, compute, appraise, 

esmate, chide, abuse. 
ratify, confirm, establish, sub- 
stantiate, sanction. (Protest, 
oppose.) 
rational, reasonable, sagacious, 
judicious, wise, sensible, sound. 
(Unreasonable.) 
ravish, enrapture, enchant, 

charm, delight, abuse. 
raze f demolish, destroy, over- 
throw, ruin, dismantle. (Build 
up.) 
reach, touch, stretch, attain, 

gain, arrive at. 
ready, prepared, ripe, apt, 
prompt, adroit, handy. (Slow, 
dilatory.) . m 

real, actual, literal, practical, 
positive, certain, genuine, true. 
(Unreal.) 
realize, accomplish, achieve, ef- 
fect, gain, get, acquire, compre- 
hend. 
reap, gain, get, acquire, obtain. 
reason, n., motive, design, end, 
proof, cause, ground, purpose. 
reason, v., deduce, draw from, 

trace, infer, conclude. 
reasonable, rational, wise, honest, 
fair, right, just. (Unreason- 
able.) 
rebellion, insurrection, revolt. 
recant, recall, abjure, retract, re- 
voke. 
recede, retire, retreat, withdraw, 

ebb. 
receive, accept, take, admit, en- 
tertain. 
reception, receiving, levee, re- 
ceipt, admission. 
recess, retreat, depth, niche, va- 
cation, intermission. 
recreation, sport, pastime, amuse- 
ment, play, game, fun. 
redeem, ransom, recover, rescue, 

deliver, save, free. 
redress, remedy, repair, remis- 
sion, abatement, relief. 
reduce, abate, lessen, decrease, 

lower, shorten, conquer. 
refined, polite, courtly, polished, 
cultured, genteel, purified. 
(Boorish.) 
reflect, consider, cogitate, think, 

ponder, muse, censure. 
reform, amend, correct, better, 
restore, improve. (Corrupt.) 



reformation, improvement, re- 
form, amendment. (Corrup- 
tion.) 
refuge, asylum, protection, har- 
bor, shelter, retreat. 
refuse, v., deny, reject, repudi- 
ate, decline, witiftrold. (Ac- 
cept.) 
refuse, n., dregs., dross, scum, 

rubbish, leavings, remains. 
refute, disprove, falsify, negative. 

(Aflirm.) 
regard, v., mind, heed, notice, be- 
hold, view, consider, respect. 
regret, n., grief, sorrow, lamen- 
tation, repentance, remorse. 
regular, orderly, uniform, cus- 
tomary, ordinary, stated. (Ir- 
regular.) 
regulate, methodize, arrange, ad- 
just, organize, govern, rule. 
(Disorder.) 
reimburse, refund, repay, satis- 
fy, indemnify. 
relevant, fit, proper, suitable, ap- 
propriate, pertinent, apt. (Ir- 
relevant.) 
reliance, trust, hope, dependence, 

confidence. (Suspicion.) 
relief, succor, aid, help, redress, 

alleviation. 
relinquish, give up, forsake, re- 
sign, surrender, quit, leave, 
forego. (Retain.) 
remedy, nelp, relief, redress, cure, 

specific, reparation. 
remorseless, pitiless, relentless, 
merciless, cruel, ruthless, bar- 
barous. (Merciful, humane.) 
remote, distant, far, secluded, in- 
direct. (Near.) 
reproduce, propagate, imitate, 

represent, copy. 
repudiate, disown, discard, disa- 
vow, renounce, disclaim. (Ack- 
nowledge.) 
repugnant, antagonistic, dis- 
tasteful. (Agreeable.) 
repulsive, forbidding, odious, ug- 
ly, disagreeable, revolting. 
(Attractive.) 
respite, reprieve, interval, stop. 
revenge, vengeance, retaliation, 
requital, retribution. (Forgive- 
ness.) 
revenue, produce, income, pro- 
ceeds, fruits, wealth. 
reverence, n.. honor, respect, awe, 
veneration, deference, homage, 
worship. (Er^cration.) 
revise, review reconsider. 
revive, refresh, rerew- renovate, 
animate, resuscitate vivify, 
cheer, comfort. 



210 



BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 



rich, wealthy, affluent, opulent, 
copious, ample, abundant, ex- 
uberant, plentiful, fertile, fruit- 
ful, superb, gorgeous. (Poor.) 

rival, n., antagonist, opponent, 
competitor. 

road, way, highway, route, 
course, path, pathway, anchor- 
age. 

roam, ramble, rove, stray, wan- 
der, stroll. 

robust, strong, lusty, vigorous, 
sinewy, stout, sturdy, stalwart, 
able-bodied. (Puny.) 

rout, v., discomfit, beat, defeat, 
overthrow, scatter. 

route, road, course, march, way, 
path, journey, direction. 

rude, rugged, rough, uncouth, 
unpolished, harsh, gruff, im- 
pertinent, impudent, saucy, 
flippant, insolent, churlish. 
(Polished, polite.) 

rule, sway, method, system, law, 
maxim, precept, guide, formula, 
regulation, government, stand- 
ard, test. 

rumor, hearsay, talk, fame, re- 
port, bruit. 

ruthless, cruel, savage, barbar- 
ous, inhuman, merciless, re- 
morseless, relentless, unrelent- 
ing. (Considerate.) 



S 

sacred, holy, hallowed, divine, 
consecrated, dedicated, devoted. 
(Profane.) 

safe, secure, harmless, trustwor- 
thy, reliable. (Perilous, dan- 
gerous.) 

sanction, confirm, countenance, 
encourage, support, ratify, au- 
thorize. (Disapprove.) 

sane, sober, lucid, sound, ra- 
tional. (Crazy.) 

saucy, impertinent, rude, impu- 
dent, insolent, flippant, for- 
ward. (Modest.) 

scandalize, shock, disgust, offend, 
calumniate, vilify, revile, ma- 
lign, traduce, defame, slander. 

scanty, bare, pinched, insufficient, 
slender, meager. (Ample.) 

scatter, strew, spread, dissemin- 
ate, disperse, dissipate, dispel. 
(Collect.) 

secret, clandestine, concealed, 
hidden, sly, underhand, latent, 
private. (Open.) 

seduce, allure, attract, decoy, en- 
tice, abduct, inveigle, deprave. 



sense, discernment, appreciation, 
perception, view, opinion, feel- 
ing, sensibility, susceptibility, 
thought, signification, judg- 
ment, import, significance, 
meaning, purport, wisdom. 

sensible, wise, intelligent, reason- 
able, sober, sound, conscious, 
aware. (Foolish.) 

settle, arrange, adjust, regulate, 
conclude, determine. 

several, sundry, divers, many, 
various. 

severe, harsh, stern, stringent, 
unmitigated, rough, unyielding. 
(Lenient.) 

shake, tremble, shudder, shiver, 
quiver, quake. 

shallow, superficial, flimsy, 
slight. (Deep, thorough.) 

shame, disgrace, dishonor. 
(Honor.) 

shameful, degrading, scandalous, 
disgraceful, outrageous. (Hon- 
orable.) 

shameless, i mmodest, impudent, 
indecent, indelicate, brazen. 

shape, form, fashion, mold, 
model. 

share, portion, lot, division, 
quantity, quota, contingent. 

sharp, acute, keen. (Dull.) 

shine, glare, glitter, radiate, 
sparkle. 

short, brief, concise, succinct, 
summary. (Long.) 

show, v., indicate, mark, point 
out, exhibit, display. 

show, «., appearance, exhibition, 
pretense, profession, sight, 
spectacle. 

sick, diseased, sickly, unhealthy, 
morbid. (Healthy.) 

sickness, illness, indisposition, 
disease, disorder. (Health.) 

significant, a., expressive, ma- 
terial, important. (Insignifi- 
cant.) 

signification, import, sense, 
meaning. 

silence, speechlessness, dumbness. 
(Noise.) 

silent, dumb, mute, speechless. 
(Talkative.) 

simile, comparison, similitude. 

simple, single, uncompounded, 
plain, artless. (Complex, com- 
pound.) 

simulate, dissimulate, dissemble, 
pretend. 

sincere, candid, hearty, honest, 
pure, genuine, real. (Insin- 
cere.) 

situation, condition, plight, pre- 
dicament, state, position. 



ANTONYMS AND SYNONYMS 



211 



size, bulk, greatness, magnitude, 
dimension. 

slavery, servitude, enthrallment, 
thralldom. (Freedom.) 

sleep, doze, drowse, nap, slum- 
ber. 

sleepy, somnolent. (Wakeful.) 

slow, dilatory, tardy. (Fast.) 

smell, fragrance, odor, scent, per- 
fume. 

smooth, even, level, mild. 
(Rough.) 

soak, drench, imbrue, steep. 

social, sociable, friendly, commu- 
nicative. (Unsocial.) 

sM>ft, gentle, meek, mild. (Hard.) 

solicit, importune, urge. 

solitary, sole, only, single. 

sorry, grieved* poor, paltry, in- 
significant. (Glad, respectable.) 

soul, mind, spirit. (Soul is op- 
posed to body, mind to mat- 
ter.) 

sound, a., healthy, sane. (Un- 
sound.) 

sound, «., tone, noise, silence. 

space, room. 

sparse, scanty, thin. (Luxuri- 
ant.) 

speak, converse, talk, say, tell, 
confer. 

special, particular, specific. (Gen- 
eral.) 

spend, expend, exhaust, consume, 
dissipate, waste, squander. 
(Save.) 

sporadic, isolated, rare. (Gen- 
eral, prevalent.) 

spread, disperse, diffuse, expand, 
disseminate, scatter. 

spring, fountain, source. 

staff, prop, support, stay. 

stagger, reel, totter. 

stain, soil, discolor, spot, sully, 
tarnish. 

state, commonwealth, realm. 

sterile, barren, unfruitful. (Fer- 
tile.) 

stifle, choke, suffocate, smother. 

stormy, rough, boisterous, tem- 
pestuous. (Calm.) 

straight, direct, right. (Crooked.) 

strait, a., narrow, confined. 

stranger, alien, foreigner, 
(Friend.) 

strengthen, fortify, invigorate. 
(Weaken.) 

strong, robust, sturdy, powerful. 
(Weak.) 

subject, exposed to, liable, ob- 
noxious. (Exempt.) 

stupid, dull, foolish, obtuse, wit- 
less. (Clever.) 

subject, inferior, subordinate. 
(Superior to, above.) 

subsequent, succeeding, follow- 



ing. (Previous.) 

substantial, solid, durable. (Un- 
substantial.) 

suit, accord, agree. (Disagree.) 

superficial, flimsy, shallow, un- 
trustworthy. (Thorough.) 

superfluous, unnecessary, exces- 
sive. (Necessary.) 

surronnd, encircle, encompass, 
environ. 

sustain, maintain, support. 

symmetry, proportion. 

sympathy, commiseration, com- 
passion, condolence. 

system, method, plan, order. 

systematic, orderly, regular, me- 
thodical. (Chaotic.) 
T 

take, accept, receive. (Give.) 

talkative, garrulous, communica- 
tive, loquacious. (Silent.) 

taste, flavor, relish, savor. (Taste- 
lessness.) 

tax, custom, duty, impost, excise, 
toll. 

tax, assessment, rate. 

tease, taunt, tantalize, torment, 
vex. 

temporary, a., fleeting, transient, 
transitory. (Permanent.) 

tenacious, pertinacious, retentive. 

tendency, aim, drift, scope. 

tenet, position, view, conviction, 
belief. 

term, position, view, conviction, 
belief. 

term, boundary, limit, period, 
time. 

territory, dominion. 

thankful, grateful, obliged. 
(Thankless.) 

thankless, ungracious, profitless, 
ungrateful, unthankful. 

thaw, melt, dissolve, liquefy. 
(Freeze.) 

theatrical, dramatic, showy, cere- 
monious, meretricious. 

theft, robbery, depredation, spo- 
liation. 

theme, subject, topic, text, essay. 

theory, speculation, scheme, plea, 
hypothesis, conjecture. 

therefore, accordingly, conse- 
quently, hence. 

thick, dense, close, compact, 
solid, coagulated, muddy, tur- 
bid, misty, foggy, vaporous. 
(Thin.) 

thin, slim, slender, slight, flimsy, 
attenuated, lean, scraggy. 

think, cogitate, consider, reflect, 
ponder, contemplate, meditate, 
muse, conceive, fancy, imagine, 
apprehend, hold, esteem, reck- 
on, consider, regard, deem, be- 
lieve, opine. 



212 



BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 



thorough, accurate, correct, 
trustworthy, reliable, complete. 
(Superficial.) 

thought, idea, conception, imag- 
ination, fancy, conceit, notion, 
supposition, care, provision, 
consideration, opinion, view, 
sentiment, reflection, delibera- 
tion. 

thoughtful, considerate, careful, 
reflective, cautious, heedful, 
contemplative, provident, pen- 
sive, dreamy. (Thoughtless.) 

thoughtless, inconsiderate, rash, 
improvident, precipitate, heed- 
less. 

tie, v., bind, restrain, restrict, 
oblige, secure, unite, join. 
(Loose.) 

tie, n., band, ligament, ligature. 

time, duration, season, period, 
era, age, date, span, spell. 

tolerate, allow, admit, receive, 
suffer, permit, let, endure. 
(Oppose.) 

top, summit, apex, head, crown, 
surface. (Bottom, base.) 

torrid, burning hot, parching, 
scorching, sultry. 

tortuous, twisted, winding, 
crooked, indirect. 

torture, torment, anguish, agony. 

touching, tender, affecting, mov- 
ing, pathetic. 

tractable, docile, manageable, 
amenable. 

trade, traffic, commerce, dealing, 
occupation, employment, office. 

traditional, oral, uncertain, trans- 
mitted. 

traffic, trade, exchange, com- 
merce, intercourse. 

trammel, n.. fetter, shatter, clog, 
bond, chain, impediment, hind- 
rance. 

tranquil, still, unruffled, peace- 
ful, quiet, hushed. ( Noisy, 
boisterous.) 

transaction, negotiation, occur- 
rence, proceeding, affair. 

trash, nonsense, twaddle, trifles. 

travel, trip, ramble, peregrina- 
tion, excursion, journey, tour, 
voyage. 

treacherous, traitorous, treason- 
able, disloyal, faithless, false- 
hearted, perfidious, sly, false. 
(Trustworthy, faithful.) 

trite, stale, old, ordinary, com- 
monplace, hackneyed. (Novel.) 

triumph, achievement, ovation, 
victory, conquest, jubilation. 
(Failure, defeat.) 

trivial, trifling, petty, small, 
frivolous, unimportant, insig- 
nificant. (Important.) 



1 

true, genuine, actual, sincere, 
true-hearted, unaffected, honest, 
upright, veritable, real, vera- 
cious, authentic, exact, accu- 
rate, correct. 

tumultuous, turbulent, riotous, 
disorderly, disturbed, confused, 
unruly. (Orderly.) 

tune, tone, air, m,elody, strain. 

turbid, foul, thick, muddy, im- 
pure, unsettled. 

type, emblem, symbol, figure, 
sign, letter, sort, kind. 

tyro, novice, beginner, learner. 



ugly, unsightly, plain, homely, 
ill-favored, hideous. (Beauti- 
ful.) 

umbrage, offense, dissatisfaction, 
displeasure, resentment. 

umpire, referee, arbitrator, judge, 
arbiter. 

unanimity, accord, agreement, 
unity, concord. (Discord.) 

unanimous, agreeing, like-mind- 
ed. 

unbridled, wanton, licentious, 
dissolute, loose, lax. 

uncertain, doubtful, dubious, 
questionable, fitful, equivocal, 
ambiguous, indistinct, variable, 
fluctuating. 

uncivil, discourteous, disrespect- 
ful, disobliging, rude. (Civil.) 

unclean, dirty, foul, filthy, sul- 
lied. (Clean.) 

uncommon, rare, strange, scarce, 
s.ingular, choice. (Common, 
ordinary.) 

unconcerned, careless, indifferent, 
apathetic. (Anxious.) 

uncouth, strange, odd, clumsy, 
ungainly. (Graceful.) 

uncover, reveal, strip, expose, lay 
bare, invest. (Hide.) 

under, below, underneath, be- 
neath, subordinate, lower, in- 
ferior. (Above.) 

understanding, knowledge, intel- 
lect, intelligence, faculty, com- 
prehension, mind, reason, 
brains. 

undertake, engage in, embark In, 
agree, promise. 

undo, annul, frustrate, untie, un- 
fasten, destroy. 

uneasy, restless, disturbed, un- 
quiet, stiff, awkward. (Quiet.) 

unequal, uneven, not alike, irreg- 
ular, insufficient. (Even.) 

unequaled, matchless, unique, 
novel, new, unheard of. 

unfair, wrongful, dishonest, un- 
just. (Fair,) 



ANTONYMS AND SYNONYMS 



213 



unfit, a., improper, unsuitable, in- 
consistent, untimely, incompe- 
tent. (Pit.) 
unfit, v., disable, disqualify, in- 
capacitate. (Fit.) 
unfortunate, calamitous, ill-fated, 
unlucky, wretched, unhappy, 
miserable. (Fortunate.) 
ungainly, clumsy, awkward, lum- 
bering, uncouth. (Pretty.) 
unhappy, miserable, wretched, 
distressed, afflicted, painful, 
disastrous, drear, dismal. 
(Happy.) 
uniform, regular, symmetrical, 
even, equal, alike, unvaried. 
(Irregular.) 
uninterrupted, continuous, per- 
petual, unceasing, incessant, 
endless. (Intermittent.) 
union, junction, combination, al- 
liance, confederacy, league, co- 
alition, agreement, concert. 
(Disunion, separation.) 
unique, unequal, uncommon, rare, 
choice, matchless. (Common, 
ordinary.) 
unite, join, conjoin, combine, con- 
cert, add, attach, incorporate, 
embody, clench, merge. (Sep- 
arate, disrupt, sunder.) 
universal, general, all, entire, to- 
tal, catholic. (Sectional.) 
unlimited, absolute, boundless, 
undefined, infinite. (Limited.) 
unreasonable, foolish, silly, ab- 
surd. 
unrivaled, unequaled, unique, un- 
exampled, incomparable, 
matchless. (Mediocre.) 
unroll, unfold, open, discover. 
unruly, ungovernable, unmanage- 
able, refractory. (Tractable, 
docile.) 
unusual, rare, unwonted, uncom- 
mon, remarkable, strange, ex- 
traordinary. (Common.) 
uphold, maintain, defend, sustain, 
support, vindicate. (Desert, 
abandon.) 
upright, vertical, perpendicular, 
just, erect, equitable, fair, pure, 
honorable. (Prone, horizontal.) 
uprightness, honesty, integrity, 
fairness, goodness, probity, 
honor, virtue. (Dishonesty.) 
urge, incite, impel, push, drive, 
instigate, stimulate, press, so- 
licit, induce. 
urgent, pressing, important, im- 
perative, immediate, serious, 
wanted. (Unimportant.) 
usage, custom, fashion, practice, 
prescription. 



use, «., usage, practice, habit, 
custom, avail, advantage, util- 
ity, benefit, application. (Dis- 
use, desuetude.) 

use, v., employ, exercise, occupy, 
accustom, practice, inure. 
(Abuse.) 

useful, advantageous, serviceable, 
available, helpful, beneficial, 
good. (Useless.) 

useless, unserviceable, fruitless, 
idle, profitless. (Useful.) 

usual, ordinary, common, accus- 
tomed, habitual, wonted, cus- 
tomary, general. (Unusual.) 

usurp, arrogate, seize, appropri- 
ate, assume. 

utmost, farthest, remotest, utter- 
most, greatest. 

utter, a., extreme, excessive, 
sheer, mere, pure. 

utter, v., speak, articulate, ex- 
press, pronounce, issue. 

utterly, totally, completely, whol- 
ly, quite, altogether, entirely. 



vacant, empty, unfilled, unoccu- 
pied, thoughtless, unthinking. 
(Occupied.) 

vagrant, n., wanderer, beggar, 
tramp, vagabond, rogue. 

vague, unsettled, undetermined, 
uncertain, pointless, indefinite. 
(Definite.) 

vain, useless, fruitless, empty, 
worthless, inflated, proud, con- 
ceited, unreal, unavailing. (Ef- 
fectual, humble, real.) 

valiant, brave, bold, valorous, 
courageous, gallant. (Coward- 
ly) 

valid, weighty, strong, powerful, 
efficient, sound, binding. (In- 
valid.) 

valor, courage, gallantry, bold- 
ness, bravery, heroism. (Cow- 
ardice.) 

value, v., appraise, assess, reckon, 
appreciate, estimate, prize, 
treasure, esteem. (Despise, 
condemn.) 

vanish, disappear, fade, melt, dis- 
solve. 

vanity, emptiness, conceit, self- 
conceit, affectedness. 

vapid, dull, flat, insipid, stale, 
tame. (Sparkling.) 

vapor, fume, smoke, mist, fog, 
steam. 

variable, changeable, unsteady, 
shifting, inconstant, wavering, 
fickle, fitful, restless. (Con- 
stant.) 



214 



BUSINESS EFFICIENCY 



variety, difference, diversity, 
change, diversification, mix- 
ture, medley, miscellany. 
(Sameness, monotony.) 

vast, spacious, boundless, 
mighty, immense, enormous, 
colossal, gigantic, huge, prodig- 
ious. (Confined.) 

vaunt, boast, brag, puff, hawk, 
advertise, flourish, parade. 

venerable, grave, sage, wise, old, 
reverend. 

venial, pardonable, excusable, 
justifiable. (Grave, serious.) 

venom, poison, virus, spite, ma- 
lice, malignity. 

venture, «., speculation, chance, 
peril, stake. 

venture, v., dare, adventure, risk, 
hazard, jeopardize. 

veracity, truth, truthfulness, 
credibility, accuracy. (False- 
hood.) 

verbal, oral, spoken, literal, par- 
ole, unwritten. 

verdict, judgment, finding, de- 
cision, answer. 

vexation, chagrin, mortification. 
(Pleasure.) 

vibrate, oscillate, swing, sway, 
wave, undulate, thrill. 

vice, vileness, corruption, deprav- 
ity, pollution, immorality, 
wickedness, guilt, iniquity, 
crime. (Virtue.) 

vicious, corrupt, depraved, de- 
abased, bad, contrary, unruly, 
demoralized, profligate, faulty. 
(Virtuous, gentle.) 

victim, sacrifice, food, prey, suf- 
ferer, dupe, gull. 

victuals, viands, bread, meat, re- 
past, provisions, fare, food. 

view, prospect, survey. 

violent, boisterous, furious, im- 
petuous, vehement. (Gentile.) 

virtuous, upright, honest, moral. 
(Profligate.) 

vision, apparition, ghost, phan- 
tom, specter. 

voluptuary* epicure, sensualist. 

vote, suffrage, voice. 

vouch, affirm, asseverate, aver, 
assure. 



wash, clean, rinse, wet, moisten, 
tint, stain. 

waste, v., squander, dissipate, 
lavish, destroy, decay, dwindle, 
wither. 

wasteful, extravagant, profligate. 
(Economical.) 

wave, breaker, billow, surge. 

way, method, plan, system, 
means, manner, mode, form, 
fashion, course, process, road, 
route, track, path, habit, prac- 
tice. 

weak, feeble, infirm. (Strong.) 

weaken, debilitate, enfeeble, ener- 
vate, invalidate. (Strengthen.) 

wearisome, tedious, tiresome. 
(Interesting, entertaining.) 

weary, harass, jade, tire, fatigue. 
(Refresh.) 

weight, gravity, heaviness, bur- 
den, load. (Lightness.) 

well-being, happiness, prosperity, 
welfare. 

whole, entire, complete, total, in- 
tegral. (Part.) 

wicked, iniquitous, nefarious. 
(Virtuous.) 

will, wish, desire. 

willingly, spontaneously, volun- 
tarily. (Unwillingly.) 

win, get, obtain, gain, procure, 
effect, realize, accomplish, 
achieve. (Lose.) 

winning, attractive, charming, 
fascinating, bewitching, en- 
chanting, dazzling, brilliant. 
(Repulsive.) 

wisdom, prudence, foresight, sa- 
gacity, far-sightedness. (Fool- 
ishness.) 

wit, humor, satire, fun, raillery. 

wonder, v., admire, amaze, aston- 
ish, surprise. 

wonder, n., marvel, miracle, pro- 
digy. 

word, n., expression, term. 

work, labor, task, toil. (Play.) 

worthless, valueless. (Valuable.) 

writer, author, penman. 

wrong, injustice, injury. (Right.) 



TV 

wait, await, expect, look for, 

wait for. 
wakeful, vigilant, watchful. 

(Sleepy.) 
wander, range, ramble, roam, 

rove, stroll. 
want, lack, need. (Abundance.) 
wary, circumspect, cautious. 

(Foolhardy.) 



yawn, gape, open wide. 

yearn, hanker after, long for, de- 
sire, crave. 

yell, bellow, cry out, scream. 

yellow, golden, saffron-like. 

yelp, bark, sharp cry, howl. 

yet, besides, nevertheless, how- 
ever, ultimately, notwithstand- 
ing, still, at last, so far, thus 
far. 



ANTONYMS AND SYNONYMS 



215 



yield, bear, give, afford, impart, 
communicate, confer, bestow, 
abdicate, resign, cede, surren- 
der, relinquish, relax, quit, 
forego, give up, let go, waive, 
comply, accede, assent, ac- 
quiesce, succumb, submit. 
(Withdraw, withhold, retain, 
deny, refuse, vindicate, assert, 
claim, disallow, resist, dissent, 
protest, struggle, strive.) 

yielding, conceding, producing, 
surrendering, supple, pliant, 
submissive, accommodating, 
unresisting. (Firm, defiant, 
stiff, hard, unyielding, resist- 
ing, unfruitful.) 

yoke, v., couple, link, connect, 
conjoin, enslave, subjugate. 
(Dissever, divorce, disconnect, 
liberate, release, manumit, en- 
franchise.) 

yore, long ago, long since. (Re- 
cently, today, now.) 

youth, boy, lad, minority, adoles- 
cence, juvenility. (Old, an- 
cient, antiquated, elderly, se- 
nile, patriarchal, primeval, 
time-honored, olden.) 

youthful, young, juvenile, boyish, 
girlish, puerile. (Aged, senile, 
mature, decrepit, decayed, ve- 
nerable, antiquated, superannu- 
ated.) 



zeal, energy, fervor, ardor, earn- 
estness, enthusiasm, eagerness. 
(Indifference, apathy, torpor, 
coldness, carelessness, sluggish- 
ness.) 

zealot, partisan, bigot, fanatic, 
devotee, visionary, enthusiast. 
(Traitor, deserter, renegade.) 

zealous, warm, ardent, fervent, 
enthusiastic, anxious, eager, 
earnest, steadfast. (Bold, in- 
different, dispassioned, apathe- 
tic, passionless, phlegmatic, 
platonic.) 

zenith, height, highest point, pin- 
nacle, summit, culmination, 
maximum. (Depth, lowest 
point, minimum.) 

zepByr, mild breeze, west wind, 
gentle wind. (Gale, furious 
wind.) 

zero, nothing, naught, cipher. 
(Something.) 

zest, flavor, appetizer, gusto, 
pleasure, enjoyment, relish, 
sharpener, enhancement. (Dis- 
taste, disgust, disrelish, detri- 
ment.) 



216 INDEX 



Page 

Banking 157 

Opening Account 158 

Letters Introducing Applicant 35, 36, 37 

Proposing Opening Bank Account 34, 35 

Making 1 a Deposit 160 

Stopping payment on check 160 

Negotiable Note 38, 39 

Non-negotiable Note 39 

Merchantile Credits — Open Book Account System 

and Trade Acceptance 162, 163 

Bill of Sale 40 

Business Letters 1 

I. Principles : . . . 1 

Parts .. 3 

Heading 5 

Introductory Address 7 

Body of Letter 9 

Complimentary Close 11 

Spacing 4 

Foreign Correspondence 13, 46 

Directions on Envelope 14 

II. Examples: 

Acknowledging Receipt of Order 42, 43 

Application for Position: 

Office Boy 17 

Salesman and Buyer 18, 19, 20 

Stenographer 18, 21 

Draftsman 19 

Bank Requesting Patronage 38 

Corrections, Apologies and Adjustments, 

28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 

Explanatory 25, 26, 27, 28 

Handling Complaints 24 

Inquiries: 

Regarding Business Responsibility. .21, 22, 23 

Replies Favorable and Otherwise 22 

Regarding Applicant for Position 23 

Introducing Applicant for Bank Account.. 35, 36, 37 

Miscellaneous Examples 45 

Order for Goods 42 

Proposing Opening Bank Account 34, 35 

Requests for Information 24 

Requests for Remittances 30 

Soliciting Orders or Business 41, 42, 44 



i 



THE NEW BUSINESS LETTER WRITER 217 

Page 
Business Letters — Summary (inclusive) 48-54 

Efficiency Through Self-Development 114 

Order 114 

Punctuality 115 

Personal Habits . 118 

Companions 121 

Good Cheer 126 

Co-operation 129 

Responsibility 133 

"Let George Do It" 135 

Self- Analysis and Self-Culture 137 

I AM 141 

How to Improve the Memory 98 

Insurance 146 

Life Insurance 147 

Fire Insurance 148 

Accident Insurance 150 

Plate Glass Insurance 151 

Automobile 152 

Marine Insurance 153 

Making a Will 166 

Partnership 177 

Personal Factors Indispensable to Success 170 

Sales 184 

Speechmaking 89 

Synonyms and Antonyms 189 

Words and Their Use: 

Correct, Ready and Effective Expression 65 

Words To Be Avoided 71 

General and Specific Words 67 

Words and Phrases Often Misused 74 

Sentences and the Parts of Speech. 83 

Writing for Publication 55 

For Magazines 56 

For the Press 57 



EAT AND 

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By B. Johnston 



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TH E SHERWOOD COMPANY 

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40 JOHN STREET NEW YORK 



THE STRUCTURE OF AN 

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By 
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Of the New York Bar 



A very necessary pocket volume to those 
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Cloth, 12 mo., net $1.00, postpaid. 



THE SHERWOOD COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 

40 JOHN STREET NEW YORK 



"THE KEY TO SUCCESS" 

Efficiency Through 
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By A. B. Johnston 

Author of "Eat and Grow Slender," "Eat and 
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The forces for good are more potent than the 
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EFFICIENCY THROUGH CONCENTRATION. 



THE SHERWOOD COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 

40 JOHN STREET NEW YORK 



CORRECT 

ENGLISH 

By Richard Ellsworth Call, 
A.M., M.Sc, Ph.D., 
Instructor in De Witt Clinton High School, 
New York City 



A first aid to letter writers and shows clearly 
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Embracing also chapters on Letter Writing, 
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